Be with me
by Ultimate Queen of Cliffies
Summary: Sequel to Blow My Mind. Elphaba goes to the Emerald City to meet the Wizard. When she finds out what he truly is, she defies him; only there's a tiny little problem tagging along in the form of a handsome Vinkun prince. Fiyeraba, AU.
1. Chapter 1 Defying gravity

**AN: So here it is - the sequel to Blow My Mind :). It follows the musical in the sense that Elphaba goes to the City and defies the Wizard, but then again... it's not. You'll see ;).**

**This first chapter kind of reminded me of the first chapter of Wonderwomen, as well as the second chapter of Fifty Ways To Say Goodbye... you'll see why.**

**I hope you like it, and please review! :)**

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**Chapter 1. Defying gravity**

"You can't come with me."

"Elphaba," he said, "I'm not leaving –"

"And I'm not putting you in danger." She looked over her shoulder. The door wouldn't hold for much longer and she knew it. "Please, Fiyero," she almost begged him. "Just go back. It's me they want. I'm their Wicked Witch now." She didn't miss the way he flinched at that. "But you… they'll leave you alone," she continued. "Go back to Shiz, Yero. Finish school."

He looked at her for a long time. "No."

Before, she'd been glad that he was with her. He'd offered to come with her to the Emerald City the moment she'd told him about her invitation to meet the Wizard. She had asked Galinda, too, but the blonde couldn't come along; her parents would visit for the weekend and it was too late for them to cancel that trip, but she had made her friend promise to tell her everything about the City when she and Fiyero would get back.

During that wonderful day in the City, it had been nice to have Fiyero with her. When she was nervous to meet the Wizard, it had been nice to have him with her, too. Now, however, she wished he would have stayed back at Shiz; because she knew that no matter what she said or did, she wouldn't be able to talk him out of this. Once he got something in his head, it was near impossible to get it out again.

"Fiyero, please!" she tried, but he just shook his head stubbornly. "If you're flying away on that broomstick," he told her, "then so am I."

She looked at him. Then she took a step closer and kissed him.

He closed his eyes during the kiss, and she used the opportunity to slowly move the broomstick between her legs, ready to take off the moment their lips would disconnect. She was _not _going to endanger him. She refused to.

"Elphaba…" he breathed, and she whispered into the kiss, "I love you."

Then she pulled away and kicked off.

His eyes widened when he realised what she was doing, but he was quicker than she'd anticipated; and before she knew it, he'd grabbed the end of the broomstick and held on to it.

"Fiyero!" she cried, the broomstick wobbling in midair with the extra weight pulling it down. "What are you doing? Let go!"

"Never," he said, gritting his teeth.

Just then, the guards burst through the attic door and came into the room. Fiyero shouted, "Go!", and this time, Elphaba didn't hesitate. She steered the broom towards the window and flew through it, with Fiyero still dangling from it like a sack of potatoes.

"Are you happy now?" she yelled down at him when they were out of earshot.

"I'm always happy when I'm with you, you know that." He shifted a little. "Any chance you could haul me up? This is kind of… uncomfortable."

"No," she said. She was really angry with him – no, not with him. With herself. She'd promised to herself that she wouldn't endanger him, so why was he here with her now? She should have stopped him. One way or another, she should have stopped him.

"Fae…"

"Fine," she snapped. She landed in a nearby forest, Fiyero trampling his legs to try and hit the ground safely. The moment they were both on their feet, she sent a death glare in his direction.

"Don't look at me like that," he said. "What you did back there was the right thing, and there was no way I was going to let you go alone."

She sighed, slumping against a tree. "You don't understand, Fiyero," she said tiredly. "You have no idea what you've just done."

He moved to stand next to her and took her hand. "I know I just prevented the girl I loved from flying off on a broomstick all by herself," he told her. "And that's all that's important, Fae – that you're not alone. For as long as I have any say in it, you'll never be alone again."

"You're a fool," she muttered, leaning her forehead against his temple. "You should stay away from me. I'm a wanted criminal now."

He drew her closer, his hands warm on her waist. "I'm not leaving you," he whispered. "Not ever. I love you, Elphaba."

She shuddered at the sharp contrast of his body heat with the icy cold outside, burying her face in his neck. She remembered that night in the library. She'd been cold back then, and she'd been afraid, but she'd also known that she was safe. Now, however, everything was different. She was in danger, and because he came with her, so was he.

"Hey," he whispered, as if he was reading her mind. "I'm not going to let anything happen to you. I promise."

"All of Oz will be looking for me now, Fiyero," she whispered back, and he pressed his lips to her hair.

"I know," he said. "But we'll figure something out."

"How?"

"I don't know." He rested his chin on top of her head and stared at the forest surrounding them, lost in thought. "But as long as we're together," he said, "everything will be okay."

She looked up at him, and when she saw the determination sparking in his eyes, she stood on her tiptoes and pressed her lips against his. He softly pressed her against the tree behind her and she wound her arms around his neck, clinging to him. "I love you," she whispered between kisses. "Please don't leave me."

"I won't." He kissed her one final time, hard. "Come on," he said. "We can't stay here, or someone might find us."

Elphaba bit her lip worriedly, running her fingers through her long raven hair. "Where can we go?" she asked quietly. "Fiyero, I'm a fugitive. I can't go anywhere…"

He kissed her forehead. "Don't worry, Fae. We'll go to the Vinkus," he said. "My parents will protect us. They'll protect _you_. We'll be safe there."

She nodded faintly. "Okay."

He squeezed her hand and she mounted her broomstick again, gesturing for him to get on behind her. He did, wrapping his arms around her waist from behind, and she kicked off.

"You know?" he said in wonder as they flew over the treetops and he looked down. "This is actually pretty cool."

She let out a soft laugh. "Yeah. I guess. Once you get past the circumstances under which it happened."

He smiled as he continued to enjoy the view. "Look," he said, pointing. "I can see the Emerald Palace from here. I didn't know we were still so close to the Cit-"

Before he could finish speaking, Elphaba screamed, "Look out!" and the broomstick suddenly pointed down. They seemed to be falling for a moment and Fiyero yelped in fear, but then a bullet suddenly wheezed past his face and he understood. They weren't falling; Elphaba was just trying to dodge the bullet rain that was suddenly coming their way. Apparently Fiyero wasn't the only one who'd noticed that they were hovering only just outside the walls of the Emerald City; because now there were Gale Force soldiers occupying every vacant spot on the roofs of the Palace, their rifles aimed at Elphaba and Fiyero.

Elphaba yanked the broomstick to the right, then suddenly shot up high in the air. Fiyero gripped her tightly in order not to fall off. He could feel Elphaba trembling against him, and he squeezed her closer. "Breathe, Fae," he said into her ear. "Just breathe."

She slowly let out a breath she hadn't even realised she'd been holding. "We've got to get out of here." She quickly moved the broom upwards again, dodging another bullet.

"We will," Fiyero said.

"Hold on tight," she said, and he rested his forehead against her back.

"To you? Always."

She took a deep breath, then steered the broom down. Immediately, there were shouts heard from the Palace and Elphaba leaned forward, urging the broom to go faster. Fiyero clung to her as they shot forward, away from the Emerald City and away from the rifles that could put an end to their flight any moment now.

"Are you okay?" she yelled over her shoulder at some point during their crazy flight.

"Fine!" he shouted back. "You?"

"I've been better." She steered the broom sharply to the side to avoid another rain of bullets. "You know, back when I wasn't the main target of the Gale Force and I wasn't being shot at, and all."

He held on to her tightly. "I'm glad you can still joke about this," he said.

She shrugged, trying to create as much distance between them and the soldiers as possible. "Would you rather have me freaking out?" she asked him rhetorically.

She swore under her breath when another bullet wheezed just past her ear. "Where _are _they? Aren't we out of their reach by now?"

Fiyero pointed down. "These bullets don't come from the Palace," he said, and when Elphaba looked down, she saw that he was right. There was a small group of Gale Force soldiers down below. The fact that they were riding horses made it more difficult for them to aim, which worked in Elphaba and Fiyero's advantage; however, the horses also allowed the soldiers to keep up with the broom rather well, meaning they had more time to aim.

"We have to steer away from them!" Fiyero shouted. He loosened his grip around Elphaba's waist just the tiniest bit, allowing him to look around, taking in their surroundings. He pointed towards a forest, a couple of miles away. "Go there. If we make it to the woods, we could lose them."

Elphaba clenched her teeth and steered the broom in that direction. "Let's hope we'll make it."

At some point, Fiyero's grip on her suddenly tightened and she heard his sharp intake of breath, and she knew he was hit. "Yero?"

"I'm fine," he said, though she could tell by the sound of his voice that he was in pain. "It just grazed me."

"Where?" she asked, trying to stay calm, and she felt him softly kissing the back of her neck. "Just my hip, Fae. Don't worry, really. I'll live," he said.

"Okay." Her voice sounded uncharacteristically small, but she closed her eyes for a moment in an attempt to compose herself. First she needed to get them both to safety.

More bullets came flying their way… and then several things suddenly happened at the same time.

Elphaba unexpectedly yanked the broom to the side.

Fiyero cried out in pain.

And then he fell off.

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It happened so fast that Elphaba barely had the time to register it. She was so focused on keeping the broom under control that Fiyero's yelp of pain completely startled her; and at the same moment, she felt his arms slipping away from her waist and she knew that she had a problem.

She whipped her head around. He was falling, and without thinking, she dived down, bending forward over the broom so far that the tip of her chin was nearly touching it, in an attempt to make the object go faster, faster, still faster. She could _not _let Fiyero fall.

The Gale Force soldiers were screaming, kicking their horses' sides to urge them in the direction of the falling prince and the witch going after him, but they were too late. Because just then, Elphaba managed to grasp the back of Fiyero's shirt.

She gripped it tightly, gritting her teeth. He was heavy, but she couldn't pull him onto the broom with her with just one hand, so she would have to hold on to him until they would reach the forest.

He moaned softly, and she looked down. A patch of red was visible on his shirt, between his right shoulder and his collarbone, and it was getting bigger. She tightened her grip on his shirt.

"Hold on, Yero," she whispered. "I've got you."

She wasn't sure how she did it, but somehow, she managed to hold on to Fiyero with one hand while steering the broom with her other until they reached the forest. Dodging trees, she made sure they were far enough into the woods so that they had lost the Gale Force before she carefully landed.

The moment she hit the ground, she dropped the broom and knelt down next to Fiyero. "Yero?"

He was pressing one hand against the wound in his shoulder, but at least he was still conscious. He looked up to meet her worried gaze and managed a weak smile. "I'll live," he said again, but it sounded a lot less convincing than it had before.

"Probably," she agreed. "But not if you come with me."

He opened his mouth to protest, but she cut him off by pressing one finger to his lips. "Fiyero," she said. "You're hurt. A graze I can live with, but this?" She quickly inspected the wound. "It didn't even come out the back," she muttered. "There's a _bullet _stuck inside of you."

"I'll be fine –"

"No, you're not." She shook her head. "You're not coming along," she said. "If you come with me now, you'll die. I can't let you die, Yero. I'm taking you to a hospital."

"Fae, you can't do that!" he protested. "If anyone sees you, they'll capture you!"

"I won't let them see me," she promised him. "But I'm not letting you die, either."

She ripped a piece of fabric off her dress and used it for a makeshift bandage around his shoulder. Then she picked up her broom again. "Can you sit behind me?"

He nodded. "I can hold on to you with one arm," he said, and she flashed him what she hoped to be a reassuring smile.

"I'll go slowly," she promised him. He carefully settled behind her and she made sure that he was steady before she rose into the air, going slow as to prevent him from falling off.

Then she steered the broom towards the nearest hospital.


	2. Chapter 2 Kiss me goodbye

**AN: I'm so glad I managed to traumatise you all in just one chapter :D. Don't worry, this will make you feel better... maybe. I'm not sure, actually. But hey, no-one dies and/or gets hurt in this chapter!**

**ONLY FIVE MORE DAYS. AAAAAAAAH.**

**Oh and I'm seeing Catching Fire this Tuesday night! :D There's a marathon, so the first Hunger Games movie is on at 9 pm and the second one will premier at midnight... and I'm there, with my friends. Hurray! Can't wait! (Even more so because I found out that this is one of the very, very few situations where the Netherlands are actually ahead of the USA. Finally, we're first with something!)**

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**Chapter 2. Kiss me goodbye**

She landed just outside the hospital, making sure to stay in the shadows – which was easy, given that dusk was already setting in. She leant the broomstick against a wall, slipping underneath Fiyero's good arm to support him. "It's okay," she whispered to him as they moved towards the doors together. "You're going to be okay."

He stopped her. "Elphaba…"

She looked up at him, her eyes wide and filled with fear, and he leaned down to capture her lips in a soft, sweet kiss. "I don't want to leave you," he said.

She lay her hand against the side of his face for a moment, looking deep into his sapphire blue eyes. "I know," she said simply. "But it's the only way."

He shook his head. "I'll be –"

"No." She gave him a stern look. "Don't give me that crap, Fiyero," she warned him. "You won't be fine if you come with me. I don't know the first thing about handling bullet wounds, and we'd never make it to the Vinkus with you in this condition. You'd bleed to death before we'd even be close. There's no other way, and he both know it." She kissed him again. "You'll be safe," she told him. "You'll be fine. You'll be safe."

"I know." He grimaced slightly in pain as he shifted his arm a little, and she placed one hand on his arm to stop his movements.

He looked at her. "But what about you?" he asked her then. "Will _you _be safe?"

She let out a hollow laugh. "I hope so," she said, which didn't really reassure him. His gaze only clouded more with worry.

She sighed and cradled his face in both her hands. "I'll try my best to stay out of danger," she promised him. "But only if you will do the same thing."

"I will."

She kissed him one final time. "Come on." She made to support him again, but he softly pushed her away.

"No, don't," he said, shaking his head. "You can't come in there with me. You can't be seen."

"Fiyero –"

"I can get inside by myself." He caressed her cheek, then kissed her forehead. "I love you. Take care of yourself."

"You, too," she whispered, leaning into his touch for a moment. Then she let go, and he slowly made his way over to the main entrance of the hospital.

She watched through the glass doors as he stumbled inside and nurses rushed towards him from all angles. She watched as they placed him on a stretcher and rolled him away.

She stayed just outside the hospital for the rest of the evening, shivering, but waiting. Every now and then, she'd fly up into the air, hugging the tree line to stay out of sight as she inspected every single window, peering inside. She didn't worry when she didn't see him. They'd have to get the bullet out, which meant he was probably still in surgery.

It was past midnight when she was making what must be her eighth or ninth inspection round when she finally located him. Third floor, fourth window to the right. She hovered just outside the window on her broomstick, drinking in the sight of him. He was lying in the bed, pale, but alive. Nurses breezed in and out of the room to check up on him every few minutes or so.

She found a thick branch in the tree behind her and set up camp there, dangling her legs from it as she sat there and watched. She watched over him all night, tired and frozen to the bone, yet watching. Ever watching. She couldn't leave for as long as she wasn't completely sure that he was okay.

When morning came and another nurse came into the room to check up on him, she called in a second nurse. Elphaba straightened up, mounting her broom again and risking coming a little closer to the window in order to get a better view. One of the nurses was pulling Fiyero's eyelids up, shining into his eyes with a light, as the other one moved around the bed, apparently checking some other things. When they moved away, Elphaba could see him again, and she smiled. Colour had flooded his cheeks again and his eyes were open, and though he looked a little dazed, he seemed to be okay otherwise. That was all she needed to know.

She took him in one final time, committing everything about him to memory.

Then she steered her broom away from the hospital and soared up high into the sky until she blended with the clouds above.

* * *

When Galinda Upland returned to her dorm room one day, closing the door behind her and turning on the light, she did _not _expect to see the Wicked Witch of the West sitting in the window sill, legs tucked underneath her, a book in her hands.

Galinda stared at the picture for a moment, not believing what she was seeing. She blinked. She rubbed her eyes.

The raven-haired witch was still there.

Then Galinda let out an ear-piercing shriek.

"Elphaba Thropp!"

Elphaba finally looked up from the book and flashed her best friend a grin. "Hi, Glin."

Galinda let out something between a cry and a howl and flung herself at Elphaba, nearly squashing her in a hug. "Elphie! OhmyOzElphieIcan'tbelieveyou'rereallyhereImissedyo usomuch! WhathappenedpeoplearecallingyouwaWickedWitchandIdo n'tunderstandandwhereisFifi?"

Elphaba laughed. "Slow down, Glin. One question at a time."

Galinda beamed at her. "Oh my Oz, Elphie. You're here!" she cried, throwing her arms around her friend again. "You're really here! I was so worried about you!"

"Really?" Elphaba asked.

Galinda gave her a weird look. "Um… Yes, of course," she said, as if that must be self-evident.

Elphaba fidgeted a little. "I mean… about this whole Wicked Witch-business…"

Galinda shook her head. "You didn't think I would _believe _that, did you?" she asked incredulously. "Sweet Oz, Elphie! I would sooner believe that… that…" She clearly tried to think of something. "That Morrible was actually a man!"

Elphaba snorted a laugh. "Sweet Oz, I've missed you, Galinda."

The blonde beamed at her and just hugged her once more. "Oh, Elphie! Tell me everything! It was so horrendible when I came back from my weekend with Momsie and Popsicle – suddenly your picture was in all of the papers, and they called you a wicked witch, and I had no idea what was going on!"

"I'll tell you," said Elphaba. "But I have to warn you first – I will have to leave again soon. It's too dangerous for me now to stay in one place for too long."

Galinda nodded. "Of course. Just… just tell me what happened, Elphie."

And she did. Elphaba told her former roommate everything about the day she spent in the City with Fiyero, about the Wizard being a fraud and her defying him, and about Fiyero coming with her.

"We were flying," she said. "We were flying on my broom, and then…" She shrugged. "They started shooting."

Galinda gasped.

"Fiyero got hit," Elphaba said softly. "Somehow I managed to shake them off and get us into the woods, but…"

"But he was already dead?" Galinda whispered as if that was the only logical conclusion.

Elphaba looked at her friend as if she had lost her mind. "Do you really think I would be sitting here with you like this if Fiyero had been dead?" she asked pointedly. "Don't you think I would be a tiny little bit more upset if that was the case?"

"So…" Galinda tried to wrap her mind around that. "He's not dead?"

Elphaba rolled her eyes. "Of course he's not dead, you blonde bimbo," she said teasingly, reminding Galinda of a time so long ago, back when they still hated one another. It made her grin.

"Well," she said, "if he's not dead, then what _did _happen, little Miss Artichoke?"

Elphaba stuck out her tongue. "I took him to a hospital."

"Without being seen?"

"I dropped him off and hid. He went inside by himself."

Galinda shook her head. "And then what?" she asked.

Elphaba shrugged. "I stayed until I was sure that he was okay," she said. "Then I spent some days in the woods, trying to lay low… and then I came here."

Galinda just shook her head once more. "You're crazy," she declared. "Elphie, what in Oz are you going to do now? You're alone, you're wanted by all of Oz…"

"And here I was all this time, thinking that _no-one _in Oz could ever want me," Elphaba smirked.

Galinda scowled at her friend. "Not funny, Elphie," she chided her.

Elphaba sniggered, but quickly grew serious again. "I wish I could take that back," she said. "I wish I could go back to the time when my biggest problem was avoiding Fiyero because I didn't want to admit to him that I actually loved him."

Galinda giggled. "Oh, Elphie…" She hugged her friend. "Things will be okay," she promised. "Really, they will be."

Elphaba shook her head. "I'm not so sure," she said. "But if it's a Wicked Witch the Wizard wants, it's a Wicked Witch he'll get."

"Oh, no," Galinda said apprehensively. "I know that look. Elphie, whatever it is you're thinking right now, stop thinking it. Think the complete opposite and act on that instead."

Elphaba chuckled. "Oh, come on. My ideas aren't that bad."

Galinda raised one eyebrow.

"Okay, maybe they are," Elphaba admitted. "Sometimes. But not this time." She sighed and moved to sit onto Galinda's bed. "Glin," she said. "I just… I want to do something useful. I want to help." She looked up at the blonde. "I'm going to help the Animals."

Galinda thought about that for a moment. "You know?" she said in wonder. "That's actually not even a completely horrendible idea."

"Horrible."

Galinda glared at the green girl. "Remind me why I missed you again?"

Elphaba just laughed. Then she looked at the time, and she rose to her feet. "Glin, I have to go," she said apologetically.

Galinda's face fell. "Already?" she pouted, but Elphaba was firm.

"I don't want to put you in danger," she said. "If anyone sees me here, the consequences won't be just for me. I'm really sorry, Glin." She squeezed the blonde's hand. "But I'll try to visit," she promised. "I'll check up on you every now and then. You still are, and always will be, my best friend, Glin."

"Oh, Elphie," Galinda blubbered, hugging her friend tightly. "You'll always be my bestest friend, too!"

They let go of one another, but Galinda wasn't ready to let Elphaba fly out of the window just yet. "Elphie?"

"Yes?"

Galinda looked at her. "What are you going to do about Fiyero?" she asked softly.

Elphaba was quiet for a while. Then she said, "He'll be fine on his own."

Galinda gasped.

"Oh, don't look so horrified!" Elphaba burst out. "It's not like I'm leaving him all to himself! They'll take great care of him at the hospital, and he never did anything wrong – he'll be safe there!"

"He came with you!" Galinda protested. "What if the Wizard wants him, too?"

Elphaba shook her head. "They're not looking for him," she insisted. "Every paper I've read, every story I've heard… they're all about me. Not him. None of those stories even mentions him. Just me. He's safe, Glin. No one is coming after him. I'm the one with the crazy magical powers. I'm the threat, not him."

"But Elphie," Galinda said pleadingly. "You can't just leave him!"

"I have to." Elphaba looked away in an attempt to hide the fact that her eyes were filling with tears. "For his own good."

"Elph-"

"If he stays with me, he'll get himself killed!"

"And what if he comes out of the hospital?" Galinda asked pointedly. "What do you think he'll do then?"

"I don't know!" Elphaba threw her hands into the air. "He might come back to Shiz, or perhaps he'll go to his parents in the Vinkus… that bullet wound is going to take some time to heal. I think he'll lay low for a while."

"And then what?" Galinda wanted to know. "He'll start looking for you, you know that, and he won't stop until he finds you."

Elphaba shook her head. "He won't," she said. "By the time he's healed and in any condition to travel, he'll have long forgotten about me. And that's for the best, too."

Now Galinda was shaking her head as well. "Elphie…" she sighed.

Elphaba took her friend's hands. "Glin?" she said, her voice sounding thick. "Promise me something?"

Galinda squeezed Elphaba's hands. "Anything, Elphie."

"If Fiyero comes back to Shiz…" The green girl swallowed. "Keep an eye on him for me?" she asked quietly.

Galinda hugged her tightly for a moment. "Of course," she said. "I will. You take care, okay?"

"I will," Elphaba said, and Galinda smiled at her.

"Good."

Elphaba mounted her broom and climbed into the window sill, opening the window. She looked over her shoulder. "Bye, Glin."

"Bye, Elphie," Galinda whispered.

Elphaba looked ahead of her, taking a deep breath. Then she leapt out of the window.

Galinda rushed towards it, leaning on the window sill as she watched her best friend shooting through the sky on her broomstick, ebony cloak and hair billowing behind her as she raced past the moon, then disappeared from view completely.

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**Virtual huggles for anyone who reviews! ^_^**


	3. Chapter 3 Until you try

**AN: I'm glad you're all liking this story so far! :) Now I hate to see Elphaba and Fiyero separated about as much as you guys do, so don't worry, they'll be together again soon... just not for long. Heheh.**

**Probably no update tomorrow, since I have uni all day and CATCHING FIRE (*squeeeeeaaaaaaal*) at night :D but I'll update Ocean's Daughter soon... I was driving home in the car today and listening to the radio, and Mermaid by Train came on, so I think that might have been a sign from above that I need to start writing the next chapter of OD :P.**

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**Chapter 3. Until you try**

Fiyero sighed, resting his forehead against the cool glass of the window. The rain was streaming down from it, matching his current mood. Everything around him seemed grey and colourless – again, matching his mood. Not really knowing what else to do, he just sighed again.

"Fiyero."

He didn't respond.

"Fiyero!"

He looked up, his face blank and his eyes dull. Queen Eleonora was watching him, concern etched all over her pretty features.

"It's been months, Fiyero," she said. She shook her head at him. "She's not coming back."

He rested his forehead back against the window. "I know."

"Then why are you still sitting here?" she demanded. He just shrugged, not saying anything.

The Queen sighed. "Really, Fiyero, I've never seen you like this," she said. "When you wrote to your father and me that you had fallen in love with a girl, we were delighted – we thought we'd never see the day. Then you tell us that you're going to the Emerald City with her, and we were happy for you. And then suddenly you appear in front of us again, looking as if you've lived through a war, with your arm in a sling and a shot wound in your shoulder…"

Fiyero watched a raindrop as it slowly made its way down the window. "I told you what happened."

"So you did," the Queen agreed. "And I believe you. But that doesn't change the fact that you're here right now, moping, and she's out there doing who-knows-what, probably not even sparing you a second thought."

"That's not true," he said softly. "She's thinking of me. She always thinks about me. And that's exactly why she isn't coming back."

His mother raised one eyebrow.

"You see," he said, tearing herself away from the window and turning to face his mother. "She never wanted me to come with her in the first place," he said. "Because she was afraid that since she's a wanted criminal now, I would get hurt in the process. She tried to leave without me, but I pretty much forced myself on her and I left her no other choice than to take me with her."

His fingers played with the fabric of a pillow that was lying in the window seat. There was a small hole in it, and he discovered that his index finger fitted just through it.

"And then I did get hurt," he continued, his gaze fixed on the pillow, "and that only strengthened her beliefs. She wants me to be safe. She wants to protect me. And that's why she's not coming back."

His mother was quiet for a while. Then she said, "That's very noble of her."

Fiyero shrugged listlessly. "Maybe. But I don't really care about staying safe," he said. "Not without her, anyway. I would gladly risk my life ten times over if that meant that I could be with her."

His mother was actually speechless for a moment. And while she stood there gaping at him, his mind slowly started working.

"Risk my life ten times over…" he mulled. "I wouldn't even really _have _to risk my life, now would I? I mean… that shot wound is almost healed."

"It is," the Queen agreed, "but what are you…"

"And I wouldn't be very conspicuous. I mean, people travel all around Oz every day, right? With others, but also by themselves. I wouldn't really stand out to anyone. No one would suspect that I might just be the boyfriend of the Wicked Witch of the West."

"Fiyero, what are you –"

"And they're not looking for me – just her." He looked up at his mother, his eyes suddenly shining again. "I can go now," he said. "I didn't want to go before, because Elphaba would skin me alive if I were to travel around Oz with a not-yet-fully-healed shot wound… but it's better now, isn't it? I can go. I don't have to wait for her to come to me – I can go to her."

His mother looked doubtful. "Fiyero, I don't think it's a very good idea to go out there on your own," she said. "You don't even know where to find her!"

He shook his head. "You're right," he said. "I don't. But I just can't sit here in and do _nothing_, Mum. Not when she's out there by herself." He rose to his feet. "I'm going to pack some stuff," he said, leaving his mother behind with her mouth still open.

* * *

The second time Elphaba visited her blonde friend at Shiz, Galinda was looking ten times less happy and a hundred times more murderous than the previous time.

The moment she caught sight of Elphaba sitting in the window sill, she glanced over her shoulder into the hallway. When she was sure that it was empty, she closed the door and locked it behind her before turning to face her long-lost friend.

Just like last time, Elphaba cracked a smile and said, "Hey."

Galinda shook her head. "Don't you 'hey' me, Elphaba Thropp," she hissed incredulously. "What in Oz are you doing here?"

Elphaba looked confused. "I promised I'd check up on you," she said, as if that explained everything. "Didn't I?"

Galinda threw her hands into the air. "It's been four months, Elphie!" she almost shouted. "_Four months_! I had to check the Oz-damned _papers _to even know if you were dead or still alive! Where have you _been_?!"

Elphaba was baffled for a moment – she'd never heard Galinda swear before – but then she sighed, rising to her feet. "I'm sorry, Glin," she said. "Really. I've been… helping the Animals, like I said I would. I've been doing some work for the Resistance, and…"

"And what?" Galinda demanded. "Forgot about me?"

Elphaba looked shocked. "No! Galinda, I could never forget about you!" She took the blonde's hands in hers. "You're my best friend!"

Galinda suddenly wrapped her arms around the green girl, hugging her so tightly that she couldn't breathe, but neither of them really cared. "Oh, Elphie!" she sniffled, and when she pulled back, she was crying. "I was so worried about you!"

Elphaba squeezed her hand. "I'm sorry, Glin," she said softly. "I am. Forgive me?"

"Of course." Galinda hugged her again. "It's been so long… are you okay?" she asked.

Elphaba nodded. "I'm fine," she said honestly. "I've had a couple of close calls with Gale Force soldiers, but they never actually got to me. And I've helped so many Animals already, Glin. There was an entire camp just outside the Emerald City where they brought the Animals they had captured, and I came along on a mission to free all of them. I freed the Monkeys that were trapped in the Emerald Palace. I even saved lives, and… and it's just an amazing feeling, you know? To know that you're actually doing something to help…"

Galinda had to smile at her friend's enthusiasm. "Well, that's great," she said. "Really. I've read about some of these things in the papers, but I wasn't sure if they were true. It's really goodly of you to help those Animals, Elphie. I'm proud of you."

Elphaba hugged her friend briefly. "Thanks, Glin," she said sincerely. "That means a lot to me."

Galinda smiled again. Then she grabbed a magazine from her desk and hit Elphaba across the head with it. "Only if you go another four months without visiting me, you're in for it, Elphaba Thropp!" she warned her.

Elphaba laughed, dodging the magazine. "I'll try to visit more often. I never really left you all alone, you know," she added, almost as an afterthought. "I kept an eye on you. From a distance, yes, but I did make sure you were doing okay. I wouldn't have been able to live with myself if I let something happen to you."

Galinda smiled tearfully and Elphaba looked at her, suddenly serious. "I'll try to visit, yes," she said. "But Glin, you also have to understand that everyone is looking for me now. I can't come and go whenever I please anymore. It took me days of scouting the area and determining whether it was safe to come here before I finally did."

Galinda sighed. "Okay," she said reluctantly. "Just… just let me know if you're okay every now and then, will you?"

"I'll try my best," Elphaba promised, and the blonde decided that was good enough.

They sat in silence for a few moments. Then Elphaba started asking about Shiz, and Galinda told her everything that had been going on since the green girl had disappeared.

"Four months…" Galinda shook her head. "I can't believe it's been that long, Elphie."

Elphaba shrugged. "Me, neither," she admitted. "Time has gone by so fast, with everything I was doing…"

Galinda nodded. "And with Fiyero, of course."

Elphaba stared at her feet.

Galinda picked up her magazine and whacked Elphaba across the head again. "If you're going to tell me that the two of you are not together…" she began angrily, but Elphaba cut her off.

"We're not, okay?" she snapped. "We're not. He's not here with me."

"Well, where is he, then?" Galinda demanded.

Elphaba shrugged. "How should I know?"

_Whack_. "Don't play games with me, Elphaba Thropp," the blonde grunted. "I know you. If you've been checking up on _me _for the past months, you've sure as hell been checking up on _him_. I know that for a fact."

"Fine, fine!" Elphaba cried, holding up both hands in defeat. "He spent a few months at his parents' home in the Vinkus," she said. "While his shoulder was healing. He started travelling towards the Emerald City about two weeks ago."

Galinda shook her head. "I can't believe he let you go," she muttered. "He probably didn't take it well, did he? When you said that you were leaving again, by yourself, and that he had to stay behind?"

Elphaba avoided Galinda's gaze.

"Elphie?" the blonde said, her voice sounding dangerously low. "Please tell me that you have at least let him know that you're still alive."

Elphaba didn't say anything, just kept on staring at the floor.

Galinda jumped to her feet and nearly screeched into her friend's face, "Have you _completely _misplaced your mind, Elphaba Thropp? You didn't even tell him that you're still alive?! Has he seen you at all since you left him at that hospital?"

Elphaba's silence was answer enough, and Galinda shook her head in disbelief. "I don't believe this," she declared. "Elphaba, he loves you!"

"It's not safe!"

"I don't care and I'm sure he doesn't, either!" Galinda stared into her friend's eyes intently. "Elphie, you can't do this to him!" she said pleadingly. "He would never forget about you, you know that as well as I do. All you're achieving by insisting on doing this is making him miserable! He doesn't want to be safe without you – he wants to be _with _you, whether that means he'll be in danger or not!"

"I know that!" Elphaba ran both hands through her raven hair in frustration. "Don't you think I know that? But that's why _I _have to keep him safe – because he won't do it for himself!"

"Elphaba," Galinda said softly. "You have to go and see him."

Elphaba opened her mouth to protest, but the blonde cut her off. "If only to let him know that you're okay."

The dark-haired witch hesitated for a moment, then closed her mouth again and nodded with a sour face. "I guess you're right."

Galinda kissed her cheek. "That's a good Elphie. Now, off you go, Miss Witch. Find that pretty man of yours and suck his face off."

Elphaba raised an eyebrow.

"Not literally!" Galinda protested. She rolled her eyes and threw her hands up in the air. "Never mind! Just go to him already!"

Elphaba grinned at her, then hugged her one final time. "Bye, Glin."

"Bye." Galinda watched as her friend climbed into the window sill and kicked off, soaring up into the air. "And be careful!" the blonde called after the quickly disappearing dark form of her friend.

She sighed, then closed the window again and plopped down onto her bed. She hoped Elphaba would keep her word and make things right with Fiyero again.


	4. Chapter 4 You'll never know

**AN: It's probably too late by now, but still - this chapter is for NymeriaFae, for her birthday. Happy birthday to you! ^_^ *gives virtual present and birthday cake***

**Thank you all so much for your reviews, and I think you're going to like this chapter! :)**

* * *

**Chapter 4. You'll never know**

Fiyero was riding down the Yellow Brick Road when he suddenly caught a flash of something in the woods to his right.

He made the horse slow down and squinted in the direction of the trees. Was there something moving there? Suddenly, his heart started pounding in his chest. Was someone following him? Did someone know who he was? Not just the Prince of the Vinkus, but also Elphaba's boyfriend? Were they coming to capture him? Kill him? Use him to lure Elphaba into a trap? Strangely enough, he found that last thought to be far more disturbing than the others.

He sighed, picturing her face in his mind - her silky black hair, her lips, her nose, her smooth green skin, her sparkling dark brown eyes…

Okay, perhaps it wasn't so strange after all that he was more worried about her than he was about himself. Really, could anyone blame him?

Shaking his head, he re-focused his attention on the woods. Something rustled in there and he heard something that sounded like a muffled curse, but he couldn't be sure.

He hesitated. Should he just ride on and pretend this never happened, hoping that whoever it was wouldn't be coming after him? Should he race away in an attempt to avoid his newly acquired stalker? Or should he go into the woods and confront him?

He waited. Not another sound came, and he shifted in the saddle a bit uncomfortably. What if it wasn't a creepy stalker at all? What if it was just someone who was taking a walk in the woods? What if this person was hurt?

He sighed, then dismounted and tied the reins of his horse to a branch at the side of the road. "I'll be back," he told the animal before stepping into the woods.

He stopped and listened. At first, he could hear nothing but the birds singing and the wind rustling in the leaves of the trees around him; but then he heard another hissed curse and he followed the sound until he reached a small clearing between the trees.

He looked around. He was sure that the sound had come from here, but there was no-one to be seen.

_Am I going crazy? _he wondered.

He already turned around to go back to his horse, but then there was a rustling of leaves behind him, as if someone hit the ground, and a soft voice asked, "Fiyero?"

He stiffened, his heart hammering in his chest. Because even though he hadn't heard it for over four months now, he would recognise that voice anywhere.

Slowly, he turned around… and there she was.

She raised one hand in some sort of half-wave, then dropped it again. "Hi," she said.

"Hi," he echoed incredulously. "That's really all you have to say to me?"

She lowered her gaze, a dark red colour flooding her cheeks. "No," she muttered. "Of course not." She sighed and looked up again. "I'm sorry, okay?" she burst out. "I just didn't want to endanger you, and I though the best way of doing that would be to stay away from you; but then I saw Galinda and she started yelling at me, and then I realised that she was right, because I could never keep you safe against your will – I mean, if I wouldn't let you come with me, you'd just go and look for me on your own, and that would be dangerous, too, which would defy the whole point of me staying away from you, and if I had to choose between endangering you by having you with me and endangering you by _not _having you with me, well, I'd much rather have you with me. And I'm rambling," she cut herself off. "I'm sorry. I… You probably don't want to see me again, anyway, after I abandoned you like that… so I'll just… um… go, and…" She faltered when she looked at him and saw the expression on his face. "Why are you grinning at me like that?" she asked suspiciously.

He took a step forward, and before she knew it, his arms were around her and he was holding her tightly. "Fae?" he whispered in her ear.

She blinked. "Yeah?"

She could feel his chuckle vibrating in his chest as he said, "Do you ever let anyone else talk?"

Slowly, a smile crept onto her face, and she buried her face in his neck and wrapped her arms around his waist. "I missed you," she sighed, her voice muffled by his shirt.

"I missed you, too." He pulled away. Her heart sank when she saw the wounded expression on his face. "It would have been nice if you'd have taken the time to let me know that you were okay, though," he said, trying to make his voice sound neutral, but she could hear the hurt shimmering through.

She wrapped her arms around her own waist now. "I'm sorry," she said quietly. "I really am."

He sighed. "I know that," he said. "And I know why you did it, too. Don't think I don't understand, Elphaba, because I do. It's just… _something_ would have been nice, you know? A message, a note, _anything_. All this time, I didn't even know if you were still alive!" He ran his fingers through his hair, clearly frustrated. "I was worried sick about you!" He looked at her. "And what about me?" he wanted to know. "You just… left me there, at that hospital. You just took off. Don't get me wrong, I wanted you to – I didn't want you to get caught… but in all those months, you didn't even check up on me to see how I was doing, if I was even still alive -"

Now her head shot up. "That's not true!" she protested hotly.

He raised an eyebrow. "Really?" he said, and she detected an edge of sarcasm in his voice. "Where were you, then?"

She narrowed her eyes. "You spent twelve days in the hospital," she said, her voice low. "Third floor, fourth window to the right. You wrote a letter to your parents, and when you were discharged from the hospital, there was a royal carriage outside waiting for you. You went back home, to the Vinkus. You had to keep your arm in a sling for another two-and-a-half months, which you hated, because you didn't want to stay at the castle, but now you were forced to. You stayed with your parents for about three months before you left again. You've been travelling in the direction of the Emerald City ever since."

He stared at her.

"I was there," she said softly. "You didn't see me, but I was always there."

He opened and closed his mouth a few times, like a fish; which would have been funny if the conversation hadn't been so serious.

"Why didn't you come before, then?" he asked, still sounding hurt. "If you knew that I wanted to set out and look for you…"

She shook her head. "I didn't," she confessed. "I knew that you didn't want to stay at the castle, but I wasn't sure why you were so eager to leave or where you wanted to go. I should have known, maybe; but it didn't dawn on me until Galinda pointed it out to me just this morning." She pulled a strand of hair over her shoulder, twirling it around her finger nervously. "I feel like such an idiot for not realising that before, but…" Her shoulders rose and fell in some sort of half-shrug. "I just didn't," she said simply. "I thought… I thought you'd forget about me."

He shook his head in disbelief, reaching out to slide his arm around her waist and pull her closer again. "I could never forget about you," he told her solemnly. "I love you, Elphaba."

She closed her eyes and leant against him, breathing in his scent and relishing in the feel of his strong arms around her. "I love you, too."

He placed two fingers under her chin and gently tilted her head back so that she could look at him. She raised her gaze to meet his, and then he lowered his head to press his lips against hers in a soft, yet firm kiss.

Her eyes fluttered shut and she slipped her arms around his neck, melting into the kiss. She pressed herself up against him, her body flush against his, and he deepened the kiss, tangling his fingers in her ebony hair. When they finally broke apart, they were both breathless.

"I really did miss you," Fiyero murmured, playing with her hair. She kissed him softly, then snuggled into his chest, tucking her head under his chin.

He nuzzled her hair. "Please don't leave again," he begged her quietly, and she shook her head.

"I won't," she promised.

He kissed the top of her head. "Thank you."

They stood like that for a long while, just holding one another. He was rubbing her back and sides with both hands, but when she suddenly yelped, he quickly pulled away. "Are you okay?"

"Fine," she muttered, stepping back a little and rubbing a particular spot in her own side carefully. "Bad landing. I'm still learning how to control that thing," she said, casting a glance in the direction of her broomstick. "Every time I think I've mastered it, something happens. I was trying to land _between _the trees, but I ended up _in _a tree. It's just a bruise, don't worry," she assured him upon seeing the concern in his blue eyes. "I'll be fine."

"Okay," he said, but he didn't look convinced.

She looked around. "What are we going to do next?" she asked.

He shrugged. "You tell me," he said. "What have you been doing for the past months?"

"Saving Animals." She bit her lip. "Or trying to save them, anyway. Sometimes I feel like for every Animal I rescue, three more are captured by the Gale Force… or worse." She sighed, dropping her head back against the trunk of the tree she was leaning against. "Sometimes I feel like it's all for nothing," she said quietly, "but then I think of the looks on their faces, the faces of the Animals I did rescue… and then I remember why I'm doing this again. Why I'm putting my own life on the line. And I can't stop doing that."

He nodded. "Okay," he said. "Then you just keep on doing that."

She looked at him sceptically. "What's the catch?" she asked.

He smiled and shook his head. "No catch," he said. "I just want to be with you, Fae. You can do whatever you want, as long as you take care of yourself, are careful, and try your best to stay safe."

She snorted. "Trust me, I have no intention of getting caught," she assured him. "A vacation in Southstairs doesn't really sound like much fun to me, thank you very much."

He chuckled.

"So… nothing changes?" she asked.

He shook his head. "Nothing but one thing," he said, and she looked up in alarm, narrowing her eyes suspiciously.

"What's that?"

He smiled and bent down to kiss her again. "I'll be waiting for you at night when you get home," he murmured.

She had to smile at that, too. "I'd like that," she said honestly.

He kissed her again, then pulled away. "Come on," he said. "Let's go and find someplace safer."

She nodded. "There's this small cottage in the Great Gillikin Forest," she said. "It's not ideal, but it's hidden and abandoned, and so far I haven't been discovered yet. I've been staying there, mostly, since I left you at the hospital."

He nodded. "Okay," he said. "Let's go, then."

She grabbed the broom, then hesitated and looked back at him. "Would you do me a favour?"

"Always," he said.

She made a face at him. "Please don't get hurt and fall off this time."

He laughed. "I'll try my best," he promised her, and she rolled her eyes and positioned herself to take off.

"You know how this works by now, right?" she asked him.

"I do." He wrapped his arms around her waist securely, holding on tightly, as she kicked off and they flew up into the sky. She flew higher than she had last time; they were above the clouds now, and he realised that the people of Oz wouldn't be able to see them from the ground. He had to admit that was pretty clever, though he wasn't sure if he was entirely comfortable with this height.

They flew for quite some times before Elphaba finally started descending, seeking cover in low clouds and between mountains, then in tree tops, before they could finally see the forest floor and she carefully landed.

"Are you still alive?" she asked, half teasing and half serious.

He grinned at her. "Still in one piece," he confirmed. "Thank Oz."

"You could say that again," she muttered as she took her broom and moved towards a small cottage in the middle of a clearing. She opened the door and made an inviting gesture. "Come in," she said. "Like I said, it's not much, but it's home… sort of."

He entered, looking around. The cottage was small, but it was clean, there was furniture, and in a way, it looked kind of cosy. "I like it," he decided.

She smiled, closing the door behind them. "Thanks." She moved past him to put the broom away, the returned, only to linger in the middle of the room for a few moments. "So… Are you tired? Hungry? I could make us something."

He shook his head. "I'm fine," he assured her. He walked up to her and wrapped her in his arms again, looking down at her. "I can't believe you're here," he confessed. "It feels like one of those dreams where you don't want to wake up, but you eventually do, and you stay behind with that awful empty feeling that means the dream wasn't real."

She rested her cheek against his chest, where she could hear his heartbeat. "Did you have those dreams often?"

"Every night for the past four months," he said, and he felt her sigh.

"I'm sorry."

He kissed her hair. "Don't be. We're together now, aren't we?" He squeezed her hand, then lifted her head so that he could look into her eyes. "And we're going to make every last moment last," he promised her.

Slowly, a smile spread across her face, and she kissed him. Then she snuggled into his embrace again, closing her eyes.

She could only agree.


	5. Chapter 5 The greatest team

**AN: Got a reputation to uphold. Sorry, guys. **

* * *

**Chapter 5. The greatest team**

When Fiyero opened his eyes the next morning, she was gone.

He immediately shot up straight, looking around, panicking. She hadn't taken off, had she? Had she left him alone again? Or had someone found her and taken her away?

He climbed out of the bed and moved into the cottage's small living room, where he caught sight of Elphaba. She was wearing her cloak and she was reaching for the front door's doorknob.

He jumped between her and the door. "Oh, no, you don't," he said, his heart pounding in his chest.

She just stared at him in bewilderment. "Don't what?" she asked, mystified.

He narrowed her eyes at her. "Don't play stupid with me," he chided her. "You were going to take off, weren't you?"

She sighed and rolled her eyes. "Yes," she said sarcastically. "I was going to take off."

"I knew it," Fiyero hissed.

"To pick some apples from the apple tree behind the cottage."

"I _knew _– what?"

She sighed again, deeply. "Really, Fiyero?" she asked him. "You're not going to be like this all the time, are you? Because I can tell you this much – it's _annoying_. Not to mention the fact that I feel kind of offended that you apparently don't trust me. I promised, didn't I? I always keep my word." She gave him a cold, fixed look. "Now could you please move out of my way so that I can collect breakfast?"

His mouth was hanging slightly open. He looked at her, then at the small, empty basket she was holding, then at the door, and then back at her. "You were…" His face flushed. "You weren't going to leave at all."

She shook her head.

"Oh." He suddenly felt very stupid. He sheepishly stepped back. "Sorry."

She shook her head again, but this time there was a small smile playing around her lips. 'You are such a brainless idiot," she said fondly.

He made a face.

She kissed his cheek. "I love you. Set the table, will you?" With that and a swish of her cloak, she disappeared outside.

His face still felt hot with embarrassment, so he quickly went to search the cupboards in the kitchen for some plates and utensils. By the time he was done, Elphaba was already back inside, setting the basket filled with apples on the table and taking off her cloak. "I should have some bread, too," she said, opening and closing some other cupboards before coming up again with half a loaf of bread and a bit of cheese. "There we go." She placed everything on the table, then sat down across from Fiyero.

He looked at her for a moment, then fixed his gaze on his plate again. "I'm sorry," he muttered.

She reached out to take his hand. "It's fine," she said. "I understand, Yero, I do. I'm sorry, too, for leaving you by yourself for so long."

"But you won't do it again?" he asked, just to make sure, and she shook her head.

"I promise," she said. "Not voluntarily, anyway."

That was good enough for him and he gave her a sheepish half-smile, which she returned with a roll of her eyes.

After they had eaten and cleaned up, he looked at her. "So… what are we going to do next?" he asked.

She pursed her lips and tilted her head a little to the side. "I've got this… thing… in the Emerald City," she said, and he nodded in understanding.

"A Resistance thing."

"Yeah." She looked at him. "You can just stay here," she said. "I think this will be safe enough – temporarily, anyway. I should be back again by tonight."

_And what if you're not? _The question was on the tip of his tongue, but he didn't ask it. He knew how much she hated it when other people were making a fuss over her, and he would probably only annoy her to the point where she might break her promise after all and run away as fast as she could.

"I'll be here," he said instead.

She softened and walked over to him. "I know you hate just sitting here and doing nothing," she said. "But it's only temporarily, I promise. We'll figure something out later, okay?" She kissed him, then took her broom from the corner and walked over to the door. "I'll see you tonight."

"Good luck," he said, and with a final smile, she was gone.

* * *

That was how things were for them from then on, and it wasn't before long that Fiyero grew extremely irritated with that.

"Fae," he whined one day. "Can't I just come with you? Help you, or anything? I feel so _useless _just sitting here all day – not to mention that I'm bored out of my mind."

"It'll get better," she promised him. "I have one more important mission tomorrow and then we'll go someplace else, okay? To your parents, like you suggested when we first escaped the City."

He, foolishly believing her, agreed.

The next day, however, he found himself wandering through the forest, looking for clues. Not because he purposefully wanted to endanger himself; but because he suspected that _she _was purposefully endangering herself without telling him.

He hadn't liked the look in her eyes when she had left the cottage that morning. He knew that look. It was the same look she'd had right before she had defied the Wizard, and again when she had left him at the hospital. That look that told him that she knew something that he didn't, and she wasn't going to tell him what it was because she already knew he wouldn't like it.

He wasn't sure what he hoped to find when he ventured out into the woods. A trace of her, maybe. Something that would give him a clue as to where she had really gone and what she was really doing there. He didn't really expect to find anything; which was why he was very surprised when a Groundhog suddenly appeared in front of him and said, "You're looking for Miss Fae, aren't you?"

Fiyero blinked at the Animal for a moment.

"Long black hair, green skin…?" the Groundhog helped him. "I'm sure she has a real name, but Fae is her Resistance code name, in case you didn't know."

He hadn't known that, but he felt strangely touched that she had chosen his nickname for her as her Resistance code name.

"Are you a Resistance member?" he asked the Groundhog, who shrugged.

"I may be," he said. "I may not be. That's beside the point."

"What _is _the point, then?" Fiyero asked, and the Groundhog looked up at him, suddenly much more serious.

"She's in the Emerald City," he said. "You have to hurry – if you leave now, you might still make it in time."

Cold shivers went down Fiyero's spine – this didn't sound good. "In time for what?"

"To stop her," the Animal said.

"Stop her from doing _what_?" Fiyero almost growled, starting to grow extremely impatient with the Animal in front of him. "Look, she loves me, I know she does, but that doesn't mean she tells me everything. I have no idea what she set off to do today."

"I figured as much," the Groundhog muttered, "or I think you would have been on your way already. This is why I came to find you, Prince Fiyero. A friend of mine from the City, a Hawk, just came to tell me that he saw her flying through the sky on her broomstick, but he says that she isn't supposed to be on a mission for the Resistance today. He suspects that she is going on a mission of her own."

"Would you just get to the point already?" Fiyero almost shouted. "Why do I need to stop her? What is she going to do?"

The Groundhog sniffed. "Humans," he hissed, shaking his head. "Always so impatient."

Fiyero thought he was going to explode.

"Fine, then." The Animal looked up at the prince again. "She's going to kill Morrible."

* * *

Elphaba landed in a small alleyway near the large square, where the celebrations would take place.

She snorted. Celebrations. Today it was twenty-two years ago that the Wizard had taken the throne of Oz, and there were many activities planned for the occasion. There were feasts and balls all over the City, there were games to be played for the smaller children, there were free bites and drinks everywhere and the entire City was decorated with emerald green flags and balloons. And this afternoon, the Wizard's Press Secretary, Madame Morrible, would give a speech in the middle of the large square in front of the Emerald Palace.

And that was when Elphaba would strike.

She bit her bottom lip. She felt bad about lying to Fiyero. She really did. But she had been planning this mission for months already, and she just couldn't let the opportunity pass. She had studied and practised her magic for days on end, learning how to create magical energy balls and improving her aim. She taught herself different spells that could come in handy, she studied the Grimmerie, she tested her new-found knowledge on rocks and other inanimate objects. She could do this. She was ready. She would disguise herself with a spell, she would walk onto the square, kill Morrible with a well-aimed energy ball, and be gone before anyone would even realise that it was her.

She hoped she would succeed. She hoped she wouldn't get caught. She hoped she wouldn't be killed, because if she did, Fiyero would never forgive her.

But no. She was prepared. She was ready. She could do this.

She looked up at the clock that decorated the outside of the Emerald Palace. Only two more hours to go before Morrible's speech.

* * *

Fiyero found her just in time.

After the Groundhog had filled him in on Elphaba's plans, he had ran towards the nearest village and bought a horse, racing towards the Emerald City as quickly as he could. The Groundhog had told him about the speech Morrible would give later that day and Fiyero figured that would be when Elphaba would attack, which was why he had been lurking near the square ever since he got there, straining his eyes in an attempt to catch sight of a flash of green. And eventually, he got lucky.

An energy ball was dancing in the palm of her hand, a frown on her face and that look in her eyes that he recognised from Shiz, when she was really concentrating on something.

Then she saw him and she dropped the magical ball in surprise. "Fiyero?"

He grabbed her arm and yanked her around a corner, away from anyone that might see them. "Have you completely lost your mind?" he demanded in a high voice.

She blinked at him.

"Elphaba," he said, his voice dangerously low now. "Please tell me I came all this way for nothing and you weren't really planning on murdering Morrible all by yourself."

Her jaw actually dropped a little. Then she averted her eyes, shuffling around a little, not saying anything.

But then again, she didn't have to.

Fiyero grabbed her shoulders and shook her. "How could you do that?" he shouted at her. "Do you know what could have happened? What if anyone discovered you? What if Morrible would see through your plan and strike back? Do you know what kind of risk you took? You could have _died_, Elphaba!"

"I know!" she snapped, pulling away from him. "Don't you think I know? I just wanted to end it, that's all!"

"This is not the way to do that!" he protested. "Just flying off to kill Morrible? Are you out of your mind?"

"You don't know what you're talking about, Fiyero," she said calmly, looking back at him. "This is something I have been working on for months already, and I'm not going to let anyone stop me from doing it. Not even you."

"Fae," he pleaded desperately, but she shook him off.

"I'll be fine, Yero."

She created another energy ball and moved back to the edge of the square, staring at Morrible intently as the woman stood on the stage as she gave her speech to the Ozians. Fiyero kept a close eye on her, worried sick, but not sure what he could do. He knew very well that if Elphaba got something in her head, there was no way of getting it out again, and so he could only sit and wait.

Elphaba moved her hand back, ready to throw the ball of magic electricity. Just then, Fiyero saw Morrible turning her head towards himself and the raven-haired witch, an evil glint in her eye and a hint of a smirk on her face.

Before Fiyero could shout a warning, Elphaba threw the energy ball.

With a simple hand movement, Morrible erected a magical protective shield. The energy ball ricocheted on it and came flying back at them.

It hit Elphaba in the side.

* * *

***hides from Maddy Hunters***


	6. Chapter 6 Lose you now

**AN: Yes, I'm doing it again. Yes, you can hunt me down.**

**Caricature of a Witch: No, you didn't find me - thank Oz. I have the most amazing hiding places. *smirk***

**FiyerabaRules: *hides in shame* That was kind of harsh of me. I suppose he _did _have to buy a horse, because after he found Elphaba, they travelled to the cottage in the woods by broom... but that means he left the poor horse tied to the branch. And that after he told it that he'd be back. That was just plain cruel xD. Imagine someone found the horse and took good care of it :3.**

**I'm not impaled on a pitchfork yet, which I suppose is good. No cliffy this chapter. Next one, though... *hides away again***

**OH, ALMOST FORGOT! Look up the story 'Merry Lurlinemas' by the Dutchtralian Twins! It's me and Musicgal3 joining forces for a long, fluffy, cool, funny, cute and light and adorabubble Shiz-era Lurlinemas series of connected one-shots! :D READ IT!**

* * *

**Chapter 6. Lose you now**

Fiyero could only watch in horror as Elphaba screamed and doubled over in pain, falling to the ground. He could hear her flesh sizzling and hissing as the energy ball burnt her skin and the flesh beneath it. It hadn't hit her full-on –if it had, she would have been dead right now; but it _had _hit her, and it was not looking good.

Fiyero crouched next to her, gasping in horror when he saw the damage the magical ball had done. The skin of her upper hip and lower side was almost gone, and the entire area looked raw and extremely painful. What was worse; there were strange, tiny, emerald green sparks of lightning flying back and forth inside the burn wounds, which seemed to hurt her even more. "Fae…"

She was conscious, but she was writhing in pain, biting down hard on her lip to keep herself from screaming. "Fi-Fiyero…"

"What in Oz are those green sparks?" he whispered, not really sure if he wanted to know the answer. "Please tell me they're healing you or something."

She shook her head, teeth clenched. "It's poison," she panted, eyes squeezed shut in agony. She opened them for a moment to look at him. "I… I poisoned the… the energy ball. With m-magic."

Suddenly, he grew angry. "Why in Oz would you do such a thing?!" he yelled at her, frustrated, although he couldn't say whether he was frustrated with her or with himself. Both, he guessed. With her, yes, for endangering herself like this, maybe even for getting hurt… but with himself, too. Because he hadn't stopped her. He'd tried, but he hadn't been able to… and what kind of man did that make him? The fact that he could not even keep the girl he loved safe?

Elphaba's eyes snapped up to his face. "To make sure… that Morrible… would really die," she choked out in response to his question. "I hardly expected… _this_… to happen." She obviously tried to throw in a hint of sarcasm, but she failed. Instead, a soft whimper escaped her lips.

Upon hearing that sound, Fiyero immediately softened; his anger dissipated and was replaced with so many other things. Sadness. Love. Fear.

He gingerly cradled her in his arms, careful not to touch her side. "Tell me what I can do," he begged her quietly. "Please. Fae… I can't lose you."

She closed her eyes. "I don't know…"

"Fae!" He squeezed her hand hard, making her eyes snap open again. He looked at her. "A hospital," he decided, half-panicking by now. "I'm taking you to a hospital."

She shook her head. "That won't help me," she croaked. "It's magic, Fiyero. And besides, they'd…" She had to pause for a moment to catch her breath, the pain she was in leaving her weak. "They'd probably just let me die," she finished after a while. "I'm the… the Wicked Witch of the West, after all… everyone w-wants me dead."

"There must be _something_ I can do!" Fiyero looked at her, despair clearly visible in his blue eyes. "Elphaba… please…"

She struggled to move a little, working herself to lie on the side that wasn't burnt. "The Grimmerie," she breathed. "Hand me the Grimmerie. It's the… the only thing that might work."

He looked around him frantically, searching for the magical book. It was lying a few metres away, where Elphaba had dropped it when she fell, and Fiyero scrambled towards it. He almost shoved it into Elphaba's hands. "What else can I do?" he demanded.

"Pray," she said through clenched teeth, with just a hint of sarcasm. She opened the Grimmerie and started flipping through the pages until she found the spell she was looking for.

"_Andem Sangra Calda Dantum… Tum Nah Sangra Caldapess…_"

Fiyero watched, growing increasingly worried as he saw the green sparks inside of her wounds multiplying until they lit up Elphaba's entire side. "Fae, are you sure this is working?" he whispered.

Suddenly, she cut herself off with a cry of pain, and Fiyero grabbed her, holding her and stroking her hair in a bleak attempt to comfort her. "What's wrong?" he asked anxiously. "Fae? Fae, talk to me, honey. Please. What's going on?"

She squirmed in pain for a moment longer. Then she suddenly shuddered and went completely limp, her eyes fluttering shut.

No words whatsoever could describe the way Fiyero felt in that moment.

"Elphaba!" he shouted, shaking her, but she didn't stir. He took a moment to take a deep breath in an attempt to calm himself down. Shaking her was most likely not going to help her anything. He needed to keep himself from panicking.

His fingers sought out the spot in her neck where he should be able to feel her heartbeat, and he nearly started crying when he found one. Okay, good. She was still alive. Her heart was beating and she was breathing, and that was the most important thing right now.

He inspected the wound in her side, but his heart sank when he realised that it had barely gotten any better. The flesh was still burnt to shreds, some parts of it even hanging loose from her body, and the entire area still looked awful and horrendibly painful. Had the spell not worked?

Then he realised that at least one thing was different: the tiny, emerald sparks, which had still been swarming inside the burn wounds mere minutes before, were now gone.

He supposed that was a good thing, given that Elphaba had told him that the green sparks were poison. Maybe the spell in the Grimmerie had only been meant to extinguish the magic before it could kill her, and not to actually heal the burns. He knew that the spell book was unpredictable – Elphaba had told him herself that she was never a hundred percent sure of what a spell would do before she cast it.

"Fae," he whispered, stroking her hair away from her face. He didn't realise he was crying until a tear slid down his cheek and dropped onto her face. "Fae, please wake up," he pleaded almost desperately. "I don't know what to do… I don't know how to help you."

She didn't move, and he closed his eyes for a moment in an attempt to regain his composure.

A hospital. No matter what she said about magic being involved, the fact remained that she was badly burnt, and she needed help. He needed to get her to a hospital.

_Think before you act, Fiyero. _He could almost _hear _Elphaba's voice in his head. _I'm the Wicked Witch of the West. I'm a wanted criminal. If they don't let me die right away, they'll certainly throw me into Southstairs or kill me the moment I am healed._

That was true, and he knew it. There weren't many green women in Oz. None, to be exact, other than Elphaba. What he also knew was that she'd rather die right here and now than allow the Wizard and Morrible to capture her and be succumbed to their sadistic plans with her.

But it was a risk he was going to have to take. He couldn't let her die.

Decided, he lifted her up in his arms, cradling her gently against him. He pressed a soft kiss to her forehead. "Don't worry, Fae," he whispered. "I'll make sure you'll be alright."

Then he started running.

* * *

When he ran into the nearest hospital, shouting for help, a nurse immediately rushed towards him. "Sir?"

"She's hurt," he said, out of breath. "She… she's burnt. Her side, I mean. I… I don't know what to do, she… she's unconscious and she won't wake up…"

"Calm down, sir," the nurse told him firmly as she motioned for another nurse to bring her a stretcher. "She's in good hands with us. Now, if you would be so kind to place her onto this stretcher, then I can take her away and I'll make sure the doctor will have a look at…" She trailed off suddenly, catching sight of a slim, emerald green hand. Her eyes slowly travelled up the form of her new patient until they found her face.

A face that was uncharacteristically green.

She swallowed, eyes snapping back to Fiyero's face. "Sir…" she stammered. "Is… Is that…" She cursed softly. "It has to be… I mean… Oh, sweet and merciful Oz, what should I…"

"Marlyn," Fiyero said, calling her by the first name that was on the nameplate she was wearing on her uniform. He needed to calm her down… or Elphaba might not survive.

The nurse stared at him, suddenly snapping out of her state of shock upon hearing her own name. "She's the Wicked Witch of the West, isn't she?" she asked him softly, trembling a little. She, like every other person in Oz, had heard the stories of the Wicked Witch of the West; and quite frankly, they terrified her to death. The woman that was in front of her now hardly resembled the wicked, ruthless murderess she had though the Witch to be, but that did not mean that she wasn't a murderess at all. Sometimes appearances were deceptive.

Fiyero, however, just looked at the nurse, and she was a little unnerved to find his eyes filled with tears.

"She is," he said in a choked voice. "But… but she's not wicked at all."

Marlyn hesitated.

"Please," the man before her almost begged her. "Please, just… just help her… If you don't help her, she… she'll die."

Marlyn looked at him, suddenly feeling sympathetic. This man really seemed to care about the Witch, and his tears appeared to be genuine…

"I love her," he croaked. "I can't let her die. Please… please help her."

That was the last straw for Marlyn, and she nodded. "Alright," she said, pretending not to see the look of utter relief that crossed the man's face. "Put her on the stretcher and I'll take her to a room to be examined."

"Thank you," he whispered, but she waved him away.

"It's my job," she said. "Come on, let's find her a room."

She gingerly covered Elphaba with a light, white sheet, covering most of the green; then she started pushing the stretcher through the hallways, meanwhile firing questions at Fiyero. How long had it taken him to get her to a hospital? Had she been conscious at all since she got hurt? What was her medical history?

When she asked him what exactly had happened to earn the green witch burn wounds like these, Fiyero hesitated. "That's, um… a long story," he said a bit sheepishly. "One that… involves magic."

Marlyn faltered. "Oh." She shook her head, attempting to clear it. "Let's worry about that later," she decided, pushing Elphaba into an empty hospital room. "I'll have a quick look at her, okay?"

Fiyero nodded faintly. "Okay."

The nurse looked up at him. "What's your name?"

He seemed to be on the verge of tears again. "Fiyero."

She nodded. "Okay, Fiyero, here's what we're going to do," she said as calmly as possible, knowing that would help him calm down as well. "I'm going to examine her. If the damage isn't too bad, I can try to help her myself, but you must understand that I'm a nurse, not a doctor. If she's very seriously hurt, I'm going to have to call in someone else or she might not survive."

Fiyero nodded again. "I understand," he whispered. "I mean… I don't want her to be exposed if I can help it, but right now I… I just need her to live."

Marlyn placed a comforting hand on his arm. "And we'll do anything to make that happen," she promised him. "Close the door, will you?" She swiftly moved towards the bed and removed the covers, quickly examining Elphaba's side as Fiyero closed the door.

After a few agonising minutes – they were agonising to Fiyero, anyway – Marlyn finally looked up at him. "I won't lie to you," she said simply. "It's bad."

Fiyero swallowed.

"It's not life-threatening, though." She moved around the room to gather some things. "Not yet, anyway. The biggest danger with these kinds of injuries would be infection, but we're going to try to prevent that."

Fiyero followed her with his eyes as she moved around the room, never straying from Elphaba's side. He was clutching her hand like it was a lifeline. "So… what's going to happen now?" he asked in an uncharacteristically small voice.

Marlyn paused for a moment to throw him a sympathetic glance and a reassuring smile. "I'm not very experienced with these kinds of things," she confessed, "but if you're willing to trust me, I think I won't have to call in someone else. I can treat her by myself… you're going to have to decide if the risk of not getting a doctor involved outweighs the risk of what would happen if someone were to find out about her."

"If someone found out and told the Gale Force, or the Wizard or Morrible themselves," Fiyero whispered, imagining that scenario, "she would most likely die."

Marlyn nodded. "I'll try the best I can," she promised him. "I'm just going to go and get some supplies, but I'll be right back. And when I do come back," she called over her shoulder as she swiftly moved out of the room, "I want to hear the entire story."


	7. Chapter 7 March of the Gale Force

**AN: I just want to take a moment to say thank you to you all. I don't think I've mentioned it lately, but I really love and appreciate your reviews. For the past year (or almost-year, anyway), you guys were what kept me going. The fact that you followed my stories, added them to your favourites, your lovely messages and reviews, all those things gave me the confidence I needed to keep on writing, to keep on posting, and finally also to take the next step, namely to write an original story and publish it (or I hope that will happen anyway). So... thank you all so much. I love you 3. **

**Blame ExoticPeachBlossom for that sentimental mood, because she said such sweet things to me today in a PM :).**

**Also, a shoutout to BlueD. You're back! :D I've been wanting to stalk you, asking you where you had disappeared to, but you didn't have an account :( so it's very good to have you back!**

* * *

**Chapter 7. March of the Gale Force**

"So she's not really wicked," Marlyn concluded when Fiyero had finished his story.

"She's not," he confirmed.

"The Wizard and Madame Morrible are," Marlyn said.

Fiyero nodded helplessly. "I know you're probably going to have trouble believing that," he said before she could open her mouth. "But… it's the truth. If you can't accept that, that's fine. Just… just please accept the fact that she," he nodded towards Elphaba, "is no more wicked than you are. She just… got caught in the middle of something."

"A victim of the circumstances," Marlyn summarised, and Fiyero nodded again.

"Something like that."

Marlyn shook her head. "I don't know what to believe," she admitted. "I mean… I don't believe you when you say that the Wizard and Madame Morrible are evil. I'm not sure if I believe you when you say that she is not wicked – I've heard so many stories about the Wicked Witch of the West, I can barely imagine them all to be false… But then again," she said, looking down at Elphaba, "those stories spoke of the Witch having extra eyes and snake-like skin, of her being an ugly old hag who is so evil that pure water can melt her…"

Fiyero snorted.

"…but that's not what I see," Marlyn continued. She was still looking at Elphaba, a small frown on her face. "I mean… the only strange thing about her is her skin colour. She's not an old witch with skin resembling a snake's, and pardon me, but I don't see any extra eyes on her, either. She's… she's just a girl," she said, apparently stunned by that realisation. "I bet she's younger than I am."

"She's twenty-two," Fiyero said softly, and Marlyn nodded.

"My little sister's age," she said in wonder. She ran her fingers through her hair. "I… I don't know what to think anymore," she said, shaking her head.

"I understand," said Fiyero, rising to his feet and placing his hand on Marlyn's arm. "I do. And like I said, you don't have to believe me. Just… just please don't…"

"I won't betray her to anyone," Marlyn promised him immediately. "You have my word." She hesitated, then added, "Not unless her life is in danger. If she gets worse…"

Fiyero squeezed her arm for a moment before letting go. "Thank you," he whispered.

Just then, there came a soft moan from the direction of the bed. The effect was immediate; Marlyn jumped in surprise, while Fiyero moved to the bedside in the blink of an eye, clutching Elphaba's hand. "Fae?" he asked hopefully.

He felt like dancing when her large, dark brown eyes slowly fluttered open. "Yero?" she croaked. She blinked a few times, becoming aware of her surroundings – and the pulsating, burning pain in her side. "Where am I?"

Fiyero kissed her knuckles, laughing and crying at the same time. He smoothed her hair away from her brow. "You're in the hospital," he whispered to her. "Remember what happened in the City?"

Her eyes widened. "Oh," she breathed, and immediately, she tried to push herself up.

Fiyero, however, was faster – and stronger. "Don't even think about it," he hissed at her. "Your stubbornness almost cost you your life once, and I will _not _risk losing you again, do you understand?"

She seemed to deflate a little. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "About what happened in the City…"

He shook his head, stroking her cheek. "Don't worry about that now," he soothed her. "Just focus on getting better, okay?"

He saw her looking at Marlyn, and he said, "She's a nurse. Her name is Marlyn. She's the only one that knows we're here. Don't worry, we can trust her."

Too tired and in too much pain to argue, Elphaba closed her eyes again. "Okay…" she whispered faintly.

Fiyero kissed her forehead, continuing to caress her cheek as he did so. "Go to sleep, Fae," he said softly. "You need it. You'll get better soon… you're safe here." For now, anyway.

She sighed softly, pressing her cheek against his hand, clutching his fingers in hers as if he would slip away the moment she loosened her grip. "Don't leave me," she pleaded softly, her voice almost inaudible.

He rested his forehead against her temple, nuzzling her cheek. "Never," he promised her quietly, rubbing the back of her hand with his thumb in a comforting gesture. She sighed again, and then her breathing slowly evened out and he knew she had fallen asleep again.

Fiyero didn't let go of her for a long while, suddenly jolted from his thoughts when Marlyn broke the silence. "Is that her name?" she asked softly. "Fae?"

Fiyero shook his head, slowly detangling his fingers from hers and looking up at Marlyn. "It's Elphaba," he said. "Her name. Fae is my nickname for her."

Marlyn nodded. "I see." She stared at Elphaba's pale face for a while longer, seemingly lost in thought. Then she decided, "I believe you."

Fiyero's head snapped up at her in surprise.

In response to his inquiring look, she shrugged. "It's just that… watching the two of you together…" She shook her head. "I don't see a Wicked Witch," she said simply. "All I see is a scared and hurt young woman. I'll help you," she decided. "I'll try my best to keep anyone from finding her out, and I'll do everything in my power to make sure she'll get better. Okay?"

Fiyero surprised her by rising to his feet and pulling her in for a quick hug. "Thank you."

In the days that followed, Elphaba remained unconscious – which worried Fiyero to no end, but Marlyn assured him that it was normal. "It's her body's way of dealing with the injuries," she explained. "Basically, it shuts everything down so that it can focus solely on healing."

Fiyero nodded, not convinced. "How are her burn wounds, anyway?"

Marlyn shook her head. "Remarkably well," she replied. "They're healing very quickly… I think that might have something to do with that spell you said she cast before she fell unconscious."

"Really?" Fiyero looked at the sleeping green girl in the bed. "Do you think it was some sort of healing spell?" he asked Marlyn.

She shrugged. "Fiyero, it's not like I've ever met a witch before," she reminded him. "Or anyone with magical powers, really. I'm just speculating. It seems most likely, because I've never seen a person with burns this bad heal this quickly."

Fiyero stroked Elphaba's hair. "She's a miracle," he agreed softly. Then he looked up at Marlyn again. "When do you think she could leave the hospital?" he asked her.

"Not yet," Marlyn replied immediately. "There's still a grave danger of infection, and no matter how quickly she's healing, those wounds need more time as well. They're third-degree burns, Fiyero. She's going to have scars from them for the rest of her life. That's not fixed within a few days – not even by a magical healing incantation."

Fiyero nodded reluctantly. "Okay."

The next day, when Marlyn had forced Fiyero into an empty patient room for a good night's sleep, promising to take care of Elphaba, the dark-haired witch woke up again.

The moment she saw Elphaba's eyes open, Marlyn rushed to her bedside, placing her fingers in Elphaba's neck to check her pulse. "How are you feeling?" she asked the younger girl.

Elphaba blinked a few times. "Where's Yero?" she whispered.

"Asleep." Marlyn checked the bags with fluid that were hanging from the standard next to Elphaba's bed. "I pretty much forced him to take a nap," she said, looking down at Elphaba. "He has barely slept at all since he brought you in. Do you want me to go and get him for you?"

Elphaba shook her head slightly. "That's okay," she said, her voice a little bit hoarse. "You can let him sleep."

When Marlyn moved to check Elphaba's temperature, the dark-haired witch flinched slightly, and Marlyn pulled her hand back with a small, slightly nervous laugh. "You don't trust me, do you?"

Elphaba bit her lip. "It's nothing personal," she said quietly. "It's just… how much do you know about me?" she asked suddenly.

Marlyn replied truthfully, "Pretty much everything, I think" at which Elphaba's eyes widened.

She looked away. "Well… then you probably understand why I can't really afford to trust strangers," she said. "Life on the run isn't ideal, but I prefer it over life in Southstairs."

"And you're right about that," said Marlyn as she shoved the thermometer under Elphaba's tongue, then shone into the young witch's eyes with a bright light. She wrote something down. "Yet I can't help but feel that you should be slightly warier of me than you are now," she added.

Elphaba blinked. "What do you mean?"

"Fiyero told me about your situation," Marlyn said. "You're right – you can't afford to trust anyone… yet to some extent, you're trusting me. By not running off, by letting me take care of you…"

Elphaba opened her mouth to say something, but Marlyn cut her off. "And don't say it's because you're hurt," she said. "You and I both know that you could get out of here if you really wanted to. It wouldn't be wise, but it's possible, if you wanted it badly enough."

Elphaba closed her mouth again.

"So why don't you?" Marlyn asked her, genuinely curious. "Who says I'm not a spy for Madame Morrible, and that the Gale Force is on its way here right now because I called them?"

"No-one," Elphaba admitted. "You might be." She sighed, closing her eyes for a moment. "But… I trust Fiyero," she said softly. "I know he would never let anything happen to me, and if he says you'll help us, then I believe him."

Marlyn smiled softly. "You two really love each other, don't you?"

"He's my soul mate," Elphaba agreed immediately. "In all of my life, there's only been two people who could see through the green and the sarcasm, see the real me… one of them is my best friend, and the other is Fiyero. How he could ever love _me_, a green girl with crazy magical powers and an unhealthy dose of sarcasm – not even to mention the whole Wicked Witch of the West thing – I still don't know, but for some idiotic reason, he does. And I love him, too. More than anything in this world."

Marlyn was still smiling. "That is so cute."

Elphaba chuckled softly. "You sound like my best friend."

Marlyn took the thermometer from Elphaba's mouth and frowned slightly. "You've got a fever."

Elphaba looked at her. "Is that bad?"

"It doesn't have to be," Marlyn acknowledged. "It's not a very high fever – it might be part of your healing process… but I'm going to keep an eye on it nonetheless."

Elphaba nodded, shifting slightly as she tried to get comfortable. Marlyn made her drink some water and fed her a bit of bouillon, then put the bowl on the nightstand. "Try to get some more sleep," she instructed the green girl. "That's your best medicine right now."

Elphaba meaningfully glanced at all the fluids and medication that was entering her blood through the drip, and Marlyn made a face. "Your _best _medicine," she stressed. "Not your only one."

Elphaba chuckled softly. "Point taken."

She fell asleep again not long thereafter, and Marlyn left the room to tend to some of her other patients, locking the door behind her. She'd told Fiyero to come and look for her if he woke up and wanted to see Elphaba – she couldn't give him a key, but she didn't want to leave the door unlocked for fear of someone walking in on a sleeping Witch of the West.

When she walked into the hallway a few hours later, however, and heard the commotion coming from the main hall of the hospital, she knew that they had been found out.

* * *

After Fiyero had awakened from his nap, feeling refreshed and much better than before, he had immediately gone to Elphaba's room. Upon finding the door locked, he realised that Marlyn must have left. Instead of going to find her, he walked in the direction of the main hall, intending to find himself some coffee and something to eat before he would ask Marlyn for the key. He was starving.

He was just sitting on a low wall and sipping his coffee when the Gale Force stormed into the hospital.

"There he is!" their Captain shouted, and Fiyero dropped his coffee in shock. Before he could move, the soldiers were all over him, pulling his arms behind his back and holding him firmly in place.

The Captain of the Guard walked up to him, a threatening look on his face. "It's over, Your Highness," he spat. "We've got you."

Fiyero struggled. "I don't know what you're talking about!" he tried desperately.

The Captain leant forward until their noses were almost touching. "Stop playing games, Prince Fiyero," he said in a dangerously low voice. "I know who you are, and I know who you've been with. You have been helping the Wicked Witch of the West, and for that you will pay."

Fiyero swallowed, feeling the blood drain from his face. They knew. He didn't care all that much that they knew he had helped Elphaba; what he _really _cared about was that they knew Elphaba was here. She was still recovering. She was feverish, she was still sleeping most of the time. If they found her now…

She would never survive Southstairs in this condition.

"She's not here!" he said in a final, desperate attempt to keep her safe. "She left a few hours ago!"

The Captain laughed hollowly. "No, she didn't," he said. "I know exactly where she is. Room 608, on the second floor."

Fiyero paled visibly.

The Captain leant forward again. "It's too late, Prince Fiyero. I already sent some of my men there," he hissed. "They're on their way to the Emerald City with her right now. Believe me when I tell you that she is _not _going to survive this. I'll make sure of that." He smirked. "Though I won't have to do much," he chuckled. "Madame Morrible will take care of everything. The plans she has… Your green friend is going to beg Morrible to end her life." He shook his head, still smirking in grim satisfaction. "Within now and a short time, the Witch will be dead."

The other men came back, followed by some bewildered-looking nurses. Marlyn was among them.

"Don't let them leave," the Captain ordered. "I want them all interrogated." He walked over to one of his colleagues, speaking with him in hushed tones, and Marlyn used the opportunity to sneak towards Fiyero.

"Have you seen her?" he whispered desperately. "Please tell me it isn't true."

Marlyn shook her head. "I'm sorry, Fiyero," she said sadly. "The moment I heard people say that the Gale Force was here, I went to check up on her, but… but it's true." She looked up at him. "She's gone," she whispered. "They took her."

* * *

**That speech in my AN at the beginning was _not _meant to placate you or anything, but try to keep it in mind as you consider to pull out your pitchforks :3. If you let me live, I promise I'll update soon!**


	8. Chapter 8 What friends are for

**AN: Um... guys? Protection, please? I'm fearing for my life right now? *gulp* I think if Moreanswers24 finds out where I live, I won't live for much longer... (Just know that if you cut off my fingers and hands, I can't finish this story and you'll never know what happens... Desperate attempt to save myself :P.)**

**BlueD: Yeah, that was my welcome back present :D. Did you see the 'March of the Maddy Hunters' by Fae the Queen? Go and check it out. It's creepy.**

**PocketSevens: Just put up the final chapter of it!**

**Elphaba'sGirl: Three instances? I can only think of one... no, two, I think. Do enlighten me - which ones were you thinking about? :P**

* * *

**Chapter 8. What friends are for**

Elphaba was running, running through the woods as fast as she could, her raven hair flying behind her and her side stinging. She dodged trees and bushes as she ran through the forest, desperate to reach a place, any place, where she would be safe.

After a while, she stopped, trying to catch her breath. She leant heavily against a tree, the fever and the excruciating pain in her side taking their toll on her, but she knew she had to keep going. They couldn't find her. If they found _her_, too, all would be lost.

She'd been in her hospital room, asleep, when someone had forced their way into the room. By the time she had properly awakened, three Gale Force soldiers were standing around her bed, looking down at her menacingly, and she had immediately panicked. When they'd tried to grab her, she'd grabbed the stand her drip was attached to, the one with all the bags of liquid hanging from it, and she'd used it to keep them off her back while she yanked the needles out of her arm.

When they had advanced on her, she had knocked one of them unconscious with the stand, then somehow managed to make the second one fly out the window. When the third one pulled out a gun and aimed it at her, her magic had rushed through her in an instinctual reaction. It had left her body through her fingertips, knocking the man out. She'd pushed the two unconscious man into the closet, just in case anyone would come into the room after them – she didn't want them to be found right away – and then she'd sneaked out of her room and into the hallway.

She had quickly discovered that the Gale Force soldiers were keeping the nurses, as well as Fiyero, trapped in the main hall; and with that discovery came the realisation that she could do nothing to help them. They had Fiyero. They weren't going to let him out of their sight anytime soon. Right now, in her weakened, feverish and wounded state, she could not help him.

She had made her way out a back door somehow, fleeing into the forest, and then she had started running, as fast as she could, trying her hardest to get away from the Gale Force soldiers that were searching for her.

She shivered in her thin hospital gown. What was she going to do now? Fiyero was captured and she needed to save him, but right now, she barely had enough strength left in her body to keep herself upright, let alone fight off a dozen Gale Force soldiers as she forced her way into Southstairs to free the man she loved. She needed a plan, a good one, and she needed it now.

She tried to orientate herself; then she realised she was near a hiding place she had used a few times in the past months. It wasn't ideal, but she could build a fire there and maybe there was some food, too… Oz knew she could use it.

The idea suddenly came to her, and she immediately felt lighter. At least she had something she could do now. She pulled a long branch off a tree, tying smaller branches and twigs to it with the headband she had been wearing. Then she softly muttered the magical incantation under her breath and the improvised broom rose about a metre into the air. Elphaba reached out to grab it and carefully situated herself onto it, shifting a little and wincing upon feeling the stab of pain in her side. Clenching her teeth, she ignored the pain for now, steering the broom in the right direction and flying off.

* * *

Fiyero was taken to the Emerald City, as he had expected he would be. He was the only one; the Gale Force had spent hours interrogating the nurses, but apparently, Marlyn had managed to stay off their radar. He was glad about that. She'd done so much for them, and he would feel terrible if she ended up in Southstairs for it.

Something was off, however. They had been travelling for a couple of days now. On the first day, the Captain of the Guard had sent two soldiers ahead to catch up with their colleagues – the ones that had apparently kidnapped Elphaba from her hospital room – and report back how they were doing handling the Witch. The two scouts had returned this morning. Fiyero probably wasn't supposed to overhear the conversation they had with the Captain, but he caught bits and pieces of it; and from what he heard, the scouts had never found the other Gale Force soldiers.

On the one hand, that worried him. He had hoped to catch news – any news – concerning Elphaba and how she was doing… if she was even still alive. On the other hand, he couldn't help but feel that anything that didn't go according to the Captain's plan might work in Fiyero's advantage somehow.

"Go back to that hospital," the Captain now barked at the two scouts. "Search the room the Witch was in and interrogate everyone you come across. I want this mystery solved!"

* * *

Galinda Upland was sitting at her desk in her dorm room, doing some homework for a change, when a strange, large object suddenly crashed into the room through the open window with a lot of noise.

Galinda screamed, whirling around, but her eyes widened when she realised that the tangled mess of limbs, fabric and black hair was actually her best friend. "Elphie?"

Elphaba moaned. "That was not one of my better landings."

Galinda hurried to her side, kneeling down next to the green girl and helping her up. "What in Oz happened?" she asked. She took in her friend's appearance. She was dressed in nothing but a thin, smudged hospital gown. She was bare-footed, her hair looked like a bird's nest, and Galinda could tell that the broom she was flying was not the same one she had been flying before. She studied her friend's face, which was extremely pale, and her chocolate brown eyes looked haunted.

"Elphie," Galinda said softly. "What is going on?"

Elphaba took a deep breath. She slowly lowered herself onto Galinda's bed, struggling to get her breathing under control, and she ran a shaky hand through her hair. "Glin, I… I screwed up."

Galinda furrowed her brow.

Elphaba buried her face in her hands. "They took Fiyero," she whispered. "The Gale Force has him, Galinda… they're taking him to the Emerald City, to Southstairs, and… and it's my fault!"

"Whoa, Elphie, calm down." Galinda took both of her friends' hands in her own; then she frowned, noticing that Elphaba was hunched over in pain and that there was a thin sheen of sweat on her forehead. The blonde lay her hand against Elphaba's forehead and gasped. "Elphie! You've got a fever!"

Elphaba nodded, squeezing her eyes shut for a moment as the adrenaline left her system and she became aware again of the throbbing pain in her side. "Yeah," she said faintly. "I had a little… accident."

Galinda raised an eyebrow. "An accident," she repeated.

Elphaba cringed slightly in anticipation. "With my own energy ball. You know, when I kind of… um… tried to kill Morrible," she admitted, staring at the floor sheepishly.

Galinda did not disappoint her – she exploded. "_What_?! Elphaba Thropp, what in _Oz _were you thinking?! Are you insane? You sent an _energy ball _at _Morrible_?! Have you _completely _misplaced your mind?!" she screeched.

Elphaba winced. "Yeah… I know." She sighed, deflating. "I… she was smarter than me. She saw it coming," she said quietly. "She brought up a force field to protect herself, and my own energy ball bounced right back at me."

Galinda looked murderous. "You know? For a straight A student, you are _really _stupid sometimes," she hissed.

"I know, okay?" Elphaba snapped. "It wasn't a smart move. I get that. Especially since it's what made me end up in that hospital in the first place, and if we hadn't gone to that hospital, Fiyero wouldn't be on his way to Southstairs right now!"

"Slow down, Elphie." Galinda held up both hands. "Tell me exactly what happened. No, wait, give me a minute first." She scurried around the room, collecting things, before plopping back onto the bed next to Elphaba. "Okay, start talking."

Elphaba told her everything, while the blonde took her former roommate's temperature, fed her some pills and water, and laid out some warm clothes for her. When Elphaba finished, Galinda ushered her into the bathroom to change, and then she insisted Elphaba would take a nap.

"You sure look like you need it," the blonde pointed out. "And besides, there's nothing you can do for Fiyero now. I hate to tell you this, Elphie, but if you set out to save him right now, you're going to end up falling off your broomstick. Or crashing into a rock. Or a tree. Or colliding with a bird in the sky. Or –"

"I get it, Glin," Elphaba interrupted her tiredly, and Galinda pushed her friend into the fluffy pink bed and tucked her in.

"Sleep," she ordered. "I'm going to think about this. Don't worry, I'll figure something out."

"Thanks, Glin," Elphaba murmured, half asleep already.

Galinda stayed put for a while, watching her friend sleep. Then she rose to her feet and pulled out some pen and paper. She scribbled a quick note for Elphaba, should she wake up, which she put on the desk; and then she pulled on a cloak and left, carefully locking the door behind her.

* * *

"I'm looking for a nurse called Marlyn?"

The red-haired nurse across from Galinda eyed her a bit warily. "You weren't sent by the Wizard, were you?" she asked. "We've had Gale Force soldiers swarming the hospital for the past days. It looked like a war zone in here."

Galinda shook her head. "No, that's not it," she assured the woman. "It's just that this Marlyn treated my friend when she was sick a while ago, and I need her advice on something."

"Oh." The nurse pointed towards another nurse, somewhat younger, with strawberry blonde hair. "That's Marlyn."

Galinda flashed her a beaming smile. "Thank you." She strode over towards the other nurse. "Marlyn?"

The nurse looked up from her paperwork. "Yes?"

Galinda lowered her voice. "Could I talk to you for a minute?" she asked her quietly. "Alone?"

Marlyn sighed. "I'm sorry," she apologised, "but I'm really busy right now, and –"

"It's about Elphaba."

Upon hearing that name, Marlyn's eyes immediately widened. She dropped the paperwork, grabbed Galinda's arm and pulled the other blonde into an empty examination room, closing the door behind her. "What about Elphaba?" she whispered. "Who are you?"

"My name is Galinda Upland," the petite blonde said. "Of the Upper Uplands. I'm Elphie's best friend."

Marlyn nodded slowly. "She told me about you."

"So you did help her," Galinda concluded, and Marlyn nodded again.

"Only I couldn't help her all that well," she added a bit bitterly. "I still don't know who betrayed her, but… but the Gale Force came, and…"

"Oh, I know," Galinda assured her. "She told me."

Marlyn looked confused. "Elphaba told you? But…" Her eyes widened even further when realisation dawned on her. "She escaped?"

Galinda shook her head. "She was never caught in the first place," she said simply. "The Gale Force came into her room, but she fought them off and got out of here. She came to me for help."

Marlyn breathed a sigh of relief. "But Fiyero…"

"Is with the Gale Force," Galinda finished. "And we need to save him."

Marlyn nodded. "I see." She thought about this for a moment. "There were some Gale Force soldiers in the closet of Elphaba's old room," she offered.

Galinda chuckled. "Yeah, she told me about that."

"The other soldiers took Fiyero to the Emerald City," Marlyn told her fellow blonde. "They're going to throw him into Southstairs, as could be expected. They're travelling down the Yellow Brick Road right now, if I'm not mistaken. They left two days ago."

"Two days?" Galinda gasped. "Elphie only arrived at my place this morning!"

Marlyn looked concerned. "Where did she stay in the meantime?"

"She said something about a cabin in the woods…" Galinda said faintly. "She was too weak to travel all the way to Shiz all at once, she said. She has to focus to keep the broom under control, so…"

Marlyn nodded. "How did she look when she got to you?" she asked Galinda, who made a face.

"Not good," she said.

Marlyn hesitated for a moment. Then she said, "Wait here," and hurried out of the room.

She came back ten minutes later, carrying a bag with her, which she handed to Galinda. "She'll need this." She held up a few strips of pills. "These are to get her fever down." A roll of bandage. "She'll have to change her bandage tonight. Tell her to keep an eye on it – whenever it gets dirty, she'll have to change it… and what with the rescue attempt you girls are planning, I'm imagining it could get very filthy." She showed Galinda a jar filled with cream. "Let her apply this to the burns before you change the bandage."

Galinda just kept on nodding, taking the bag from the nurse. "Make her drink lots of water," Marlyn advised the blonde, "and get some food into her. Make sure she sleeps well. I'd tell you to make her stay in bed for at least another week, if not longer, but, well, from what I've seen of her and how much she cares about Fiyero…"

Galinda was already shaking her head. "Not going to happen," she declared. "You have no idea how much effort it took me to get her to take a nap of a few hours' time."

Marlyn sighed. "Right. Okay. If her fever gets higher, come to me immediately," she warned Galinda. "Keep an eye on her, okay?"

"I'll look out for her," Galinda promised. "She's my best friend – I won't let anything happen to her… but I know she has to do this. For Fiyero. I want her to be safe, but I want her to be happy, too, and she could never be that whilst knowing that Fiyero is in Southstairs all by himself."

Marlyn nodded. "Good luck."

Galinda gave her a weary smile. "Thanks," she said. "We'll need it."

* * *

**All better now?**

**...sort of, anyway?**

***hides in a kitchen cupboard just to be sure***


	9. Chapter 9 Fiyero, saving you

**AN: To Those That Want To Murder Me: I have BlueD and Musicgal3 and her chainsaw to protect me, and PocketSevens offered me a hiding place. YOU CAN NEVER GET TO ME.**

**To Those That Do Not Want To Murder Me: Thank you very much, I appreciate the sentiment. **

**To Moreanswers24: WRONG MOVE. You just gave me the idea of killing Fiyero and bringing him back to life again, just to shock you all :D.**

**To BlueD: That cracked me up. The 'boops his nose' part, but when you called Fiyero 'Snuggly Booboo Kins', I was just rolling over the floor with laughter xD.**

**To Elphaba'sGirl: Your comment on Happy Ending made me laugh. "That wasn't really a happy ending, Maddy". I'm aware :D. I must argue with you, though. Fifty Ways To Say Goodbye doesn't count because I wrote an extra epilogue. Sometimes She Wishes She Was Never Born doesn't count because it's pre-Shiz and we all know she ends up happily ever after with Fiyero in the end (sort of, anyway). And as for Shadows... well, Nessa is in a better place right now ^_^.**

* * *

**Chapter 9. Fiyero, saving you**

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN, THEY WERE LOCKED IN A CLOSET?!" It was the booming voice of the Captain of the Guard that woke Fiyero from his sleep. He rubbed his eyes, squinting against the early morning light. The Captain was standing on the other side of their improvised camp, but his voice was so loud that it carried all the way across the camp. The two scouts that had gone back to the hospital were with him, looking defeated.

Fiyero sat up quickly. Was this about Elphaba?

"Exactly what we said, sir," one of the scouts said a bit grumpily. "One of our men was found in the bushes next to the hospital, severely wounded…"

His companion sniggered. "Luckily for him, the hospital wasn't far away."

The Captain glared at him, and the scout muffled his laugh in his hand, pretending to be coughing.

"…and the other two were found in the closet in the hospital room," the first scout continued as if he hadn't been interrupted at all. "They had been knocked unconscious."

The Captain started pacing. "And those were the men that were supposed to capture the Witch?" he hissed at his scouts. "You're sure of that?"

They both nodded. "Turns out they never caught her at all," the second scout said. "Apparently she knocked them unconscious and escaped."

"How?" the Captain demanded. "She was hurt, wasn't she?"

The scouts shrugged helplessly. "She was probably stronger than we thought she'd be," one of them offered.

The Captain growled, but Fiyero suddenly felt ten tons lighter. Elphaba wasn't in Southstairs – she had escaped! He had no idea how that was possible, but as he had told Marlyn before, Elphaba was a miracle. If anyone was capable of getting away of a bunch of Gale Force soldiers while severely injured, it was her.

He wondered where she could have gone. Some of her friends from the Resistance, maybe? Or had she just waited in the woods for the Gale Force to leave, then sneaked back in again? He hoped not – the Captain had ordered some men to stay behind at the hospital and look out for her. It could get her caught again after all…

"Take Prince Fiyero back to the City," the Captain ordered, his voice almost a hiss. "Immediately. I want him locked up as soon as possible – before he, too, makes some kind of miraculous escape."

The scouts saluted.

"I will take three men with me to search the woods," the Captain continued. "I want to find the Witch, and I'm going to make sure I _will _find her if it's the last thing I'll ever do. Report back to the Wizard. I will find her and bring her to the Emerald City, where she will face the consequences of her crimes."

With that, the Captain stalked off, leaving his second-in-command in charge of bringing Fiyero to the Emerald City.

* * *

Galinda spent the next few days nursing Elphaba back to health, much to the green girl's annoyance.

"Galinda," she said, scowling. "I have to find Fiyero!"

"You will." Galinda was stirring in a pan filled with broth as she heated it up. "Later."

"Glin-"

"You can argue all you want, Elphie, but I'm not letting you leave. Not yet. Marlyn actually wanted you to stay down for at least another week. I already compromised by making that four days."

"But –"

"He's in Southstairs, yes, but he'll be fine for a few days, Elphie. It'll be much more helpful to him if you came to rescue him in fairly good health than if you'd fly there right now and get yourself shot out of the sky – or thrown in a cell with him. I don't think he'd appreciate that very much. Not to mention the fact that I would kill you."

Elphaba closed her mouth, sulking. She knew her friend was right.

"Still," she insisted. "If you're going to make me stay here, the least you could do is let me change my own bandages and let me eat by myself. You don't have to coddle me."

"But I like coddling you." Galinda was grinning as she brought a bowl of broth over to the bed. "You've never let me before, and now you can't do anything about it, so I'm going to take advantage of the situation. All you have to do is swallow when I feed you something and lie still when I'm taking care of you. Other than that, you just have to sleep. _A lot_. Just four days, Elphie. And meanwhile, we could perhaps come up with some kind of plan as to how exactly we're going to go about saving Fiyero."

Elphaba sulked and grumbled, but didn't protest again.

When the four days were over, however, she refused to stay tied down any longer. "Really, Galinda, I'm feeling fine," she insisted. "My fever is down, isn't it?"

Galinda was staring at the thermometer as if it had betrayed her. "Yes," she admitted grudgingly.

"You just took care of my burns and changed my bandage."

Galinda nodded.  
"And you fed me the right amount of pills ten minutes ago. I'm not in any pain," okay, that was a lie; she _was _in pain, but it wasn't bad enough to mention it to her blonde friend, "and I'm awake and lucid and perfectly capable to move on my own. So what reason do you have to keep me here?"

Galinda bit her lip. "None," she had to admit. "But… but…"

Elphaba kissed her cheek. "No 'but'," she said sternly. "I'm going, and that's the end of it."

Galinda nodded. "I'll follow you," she said. "By bubble."

Elphaba sniggered. "I still think it's crazy that you taught yourself a spell to travel by _bubble_, of all things," she said in amusement. "It's so… Galinda."

Galinda curtsied mockingly. "Why, thank you," she said, giggling. "I love travelling by bubble. It's easy and elegant and fast – it got me to that hospital in mere hours! – and it's much more comfortable than a broomstick," she said with a hint of disgust in her voice.

"How would you know?" Elphaba held out the broomstick to her. "You've never even been on it."

Galinda wrinkled her nose. "No! I'm not touching that filthy old thing!" she protested.

Elphaba cackled.

"Have you got everything?" Galinda asked. "Did you cast the shrinking spell?"

Elphaba nodded, showing Galinda the object she'd shrunk. It was now the size of Elphaba's hand and it fitted snugly in the waistband of her underskirt, hidden by the heavy fabrics of her dress. After Elphaba had put it away, she looked around the room. "I think we're ready, aren't we?"

"I guess." Galinda sighed. "It's not much of a plan, though."

"No, it's not," Elphaba agreed, "but it'll get me to Fiyero, and right now that's all I care about. And it'll get you inside the Palace… if everything goes according to our not-so-fantastic plan."

"So our lives are currently depending on my acting abilities – which are moderate at best – and your unstable and almost uncontrollable magic," Galinda concluded. "We're doomed."

Elphaba smirked and patted her friend's hand. "Let's hope my magic wasn't affected by that energy ball and completely flies off the handle," she said. "Now _that _would be a problem."

Galinda paled. "Elphie, I don't think we should –"

"We'll be fine, Glin." Elphaba squeezed the blonde's shoulder. "Just try your best. It'll work out."

Galinda huffed. Elphaba gave her one last hug before mounting her broom.

She looked over her shoulder. "You'll be right behind me, won't you?" she asked.

Galinda smiled at her. "Always, Elphie. You know that."

Elphaba returned the smile.

Then she kicked off and flew out of the window, leaving Galinda to conjure up her bubble and follow close behind.

* * *

"Tell me where she is."

Fiyero looked up at the man leaning over him, then at Morrible, who was standing back a little, but he didn't say anything.

Morrible narrowed her eyes to slits. "Master Tiggular," she hissed. "I suggest you start talking right this instant, unless you want us to mutilate your pretty little face." As if on cue, the guard standing over Fiyero raised the whip he was holding.

"I told you," Fiyero said through clenched teeth. "I don't know where she is."

Morrible gave a nod to the guard and the man lashed out. The whip ripped open Fiyero's clothes, hitting the flesh of his back; and Fiyero couldn't hold back a yelp of pain. "I really don't know!" he said, panting a little. He looked up at Morrible. "The last time I saw her she was in the hospital! Then the Gale Force came and the Captain told me she had been captured! That's all I know!"

Morrible leant down to look into his eyes. Another lash of the whip made his back arch and he gritted his teeth, but he didn't scream.

"You're saying," Morrible summarised, "that you have not seen her since you left her in that hospital room. That's what you said before, isn't it?"

"Yes!"

"How did you know she escaped?"

"I overheard a conversation between the Captain of the Guard and a few other soldiers," Fiyero panted. "He'd sent them to the hospital and they told him that they had found the three men that were supposed to capture Elphaba. Apparently she'd knocked them all unconscious and escaped, but I don't know anything about that! I thought you had caught her and taken her to Southstairs!"

Now the guard was glaring at him. "Are you saying you were eavesdropping on our Captain?" he grunted, bringing the whip down again.

Morrible held up one hand. "That's not really of importance right now."

The guard looked pissed off, but obediently let the whip hang down beside him.

Morrible straightened her back, looking down at Fiyero. "I believe you."

Fiyero breathed a sigh of relief.

Morrible looked back up at the guard. "Fifteen more whiplashes," she said.

Fiyero's eyes widened. "What?!"

"You helped a fugitive criminal," Morrible reminded him. "The most dangerous one around, to be exact. You _helped _the Wicked Witch of the West. Now you must face your punishment."

"She is not dangerous!" Fiyero shouted. "She's not wicked and you know it, Morrible! If anyone is wicked around here, it's _you_! You ugly, disgusting, filthy witch!" He spat in her face.

Morrible wiped his saliva off her face, her expression murderous. "Soldier?"

The guard saluted. "Yes, Madame?"

"Make that twenty-five whiplashes," she growled. "Then throw him in the darkest, filthiest cell you can find. He will rot there for the rest of his life!"

"Of course, Madame." The guard rose his whip as Morrible left the dungeons, her cackle echoing through the dark hallways.

Fiyero squeezed his eyes shut.

* * *

Galinda led Elphaba through the hallways of the Emerald Palace. The green girl's hands were tied behind her back and there was a black sack pulled over her head, preventing anyone from seeing her face – and preventing _her _from seeing anything around her, which was annoying, but necessary. The moment anyone would see her green face, they would all start shouting, "WITCH!" and Galinda would never get her to the Throne Room.

"Your Ozness!" Galinda called as she shuffled into the Throne Room, dragging Elphaba with her. She curtsied a bit clumsily. "My name is Galinda Upland, of the Upper Uplands, and I –"

"Miss Galinda!" A middle-aged man appeared from behind the giant Wizard's head, smiling at Galinda. "Of course, of course. I got your letter. You said you were in a Sorcery class with Miss Elphaba?"

Elphaba stayed near the wall, hidden in the shadows, as Galinda chatted with the Wizard. "I was, and I know what happened to her."

The Wizard stilled.

"She became the Wicked Witch of the West," Galinda continued. "I shouldn't have been surprised, really – she always was mean and heartless." She had to force the words out, hating to say it, but knowing it was necessary. It was part of their plan. _Pretend you're Oz's greatest actress, Galinda. You can do this._

The Wizard smiled hesitantly. "Is that so?"

Galinda nodded fervently, blonde curls bouncing. "But I was in that Sorcery class, too, Your Ozness," she declared proudly, "and I can do magic. I promise you I won't be ungrateful and fly off on a filthy old broomstick. I will stand by your side and I will help you and make you proud!"

The Wizard eyed her curiously. "Is that so?"

"I have always _dreamt _of standing by your side, working for you," Galinda said dramatically, bringing one hand to her forehead, then realising that might be a bit too much. She quickly dropped the hand again and batted her eyelashes at the Wizard. "It would be _such _an honour, and I promise you I could be of great use."

"How so?" the Wizard inquired. Galinda gave him her most bright and radiant smile and pulled Elphaba from the shadows. The green girl pretended to struggle.

"Your Ozness," Galinda announced, "may I present to you your greatest enemy: the Wicked Witch of the West!" She almost inaudibly hissed into Elphaba's ear, "Just know that I hate doing this and that this is the worst plan you've ever had." Then she pulled the sack from Elphaba's head.

The Wizard took in the girl standing before him. Emerald skin, black dress, long black hair in a ponytail over one shoulder. Her hands were tied, she was gagged and her eyes were burning. If looks could kill, Oscar would have dropped dead on the spot.

He frowned, then looked at Galinda. "You… you caught her?" he asked in wonder. He circled Elphaba, studying her from all angles. "How?"

"I set a trap," Galinda said proudly. "I set a trap for her, and I used my father's men to capture her." She thought that would be more believable than telling him that a petite little blonde had overpowered and captured the Wicked Witch all by herself. "As a sign of goodwill to you, Your Ozness. I brought her here, and you can have her to do with her as you wish." She shoved Elphaba forward.

The Wizard quickly disappeared behind his mechanical head and boomed, "Guards! Guards!"

Immediately, six Gale Force soldiers rushed into the room.

"We have captured the Wicked Witch of the West!" the Wizard barked. "Take her to Southstairs and lock her in a cell! Make sure she _cannot _escape, do you hear me?"

"Yes, Your Ozness!" the guards all shouted, saluting. Two of them grabbed a struggling Elphaba and Galinda watched with mixed feelings as her best friend was dragged out of the room.

Oh, she hoped everything would go according to plan.

"Miss Galinda," the Wizard said, appearing from behind the mechanical head again and smiling at her. He took both her hands in his. "You have proven our land a great service, and I am forever grateful. It would be my honour to welcome you to the government."

Galinda curtsied so low that her nose almost touched the ground. "Oh, thank you, Your Ozness!" she gushed, bending her relief to appear like gratitude. He bought it. "I will not disappoint you!"

The Wizard smiled at her and she grinned back at him. _I will do so much more than that._

* * *

**_*_imitates dude from Snickers commercial* Better?**


	10. Chapter 10 Leave it all to me

**AN: It's good to see me, isn't it?**

**Elphaba'sGirl: Point taken. I promise I will not make it five... not with this story, anyway *smirks*.**

**BlueD, you made my day with your Snuggly Booboo Kins story xD. And yeah - frying pans. Who knew, right? ;)**

**Kudos to TheLilyReviewer for responding the right way (according to the Snickers commercial, anyway :P).**

* * *

**Chapter 10. Leave it all to me**

When Fiyero heard the doors open, he lifted his head from where it had been laying down on the straw bag in his cell. He could hear struggles, and a Gale Force soldier barked, "Silence, Witch!"

Fiyero froze. No. It wasn't her. It couldn't be her. Please let it not be her…

"Ah!" One of the soldiers cried out. "She bit me! The little witch bit me!"

Another soldier was audibly stifling his laughter. "You put your hand over her mouth. What else did you expect?"

There was the sickening noise of flesh on flesh. "That'll teach you," the first soldier grumbled. "Now hold still!"

"In here." Fiyero could hear the sound of a cell door opening. "Put her in here."

"She doesn't have her magic book with her, does she?"

Magic book. Fiyero's heart sank.

"Do you see any place where she can be hiding a magic book?" one of the other soldiers asked sarcastically.

The first one sniggered. "Maybe we should _feel for it_."

"Keep your filthy hands off me," a female voice hissed. A female voice Fiyero knew only all too well.

"It's fine, man. She doesn't have a magic book with her," another voice said. More sounds coming from the other side of the hallway, then a cell door closing.

"Lock it firmly," one of the soldiers instructed. "She's a witch – she can probably pick locks, too."

Someone else snorted. "This is Southstairs, stupid. No-one can pick these locks." The sound of a key turning in a lock. "Have fun here, little witch," the man said with a raspy chuckle. "Tomorrow Morrible is coming to interrogate you – and trust me, it will _not _be pretty." Fiyero could almost _hear_ the smirk in his voice, and his stomach churned. He knew the soldier was right – if Morrible got her hands on Elphaba...

"Enjoy your time alone… and alive… with your limbs still attached," the Gale Force soldier added. The men burst out in roaring laughter, which slowly died away as they moved back towards the door and left the dungeons. The door closed behind them with a heavy slam.

"Enjoy your time alive, with your limbs still attached," Elphaba imitated the guard in a mocking voice, clearly pissed off. "Don't worry, guys, I'm going to be out of here long before Morrible shows her fishy face." He heard her scurrying around, then muttering something under her breath. There were some more sounds he could not identify; then she muttered something else, something he couldn't understand… and the next sound he heard was an indignant creaking as a cell door flew open.

"That was easy," Elphaba said to herself as she quickly left her cell. She looked around, trying to distinguish anything – or anyone – in the dark, but she could barely see a thing. She slowly started moving, so quietly that her shoes barely made a sound as they hit the bricks of the cold, stone floor. She shuffled around until she found the big doors; then she cast a spell on them and turned around again, eyes searching the pitch black hallways as she walked.

"Fiyero?" she whispered softly. "Are you around here?"

He caught sight of her as she rounded the corner, and he rushed towards the bars of his cell in an attempt to get closer to her. "Fae," he breathed. The moment she heard his voice, she located him and ran over to him.

"Hold on," she told him quietly, pulling the Grimmerie from underneath her cloak and opening it. She whispered a spell from one of the pages and the door to Fiyero's cell opened.

The moment she laid eyes on his back, covered in dried blood and shreds of his shirt, she inhaled sharply. "Oh, Yero…"

"It's nothing," he said as she knelt down next to him and gingerly wrapped her arms around him. It _was _something, of course, but it didn't matter anymore. Not now that she was here.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered into his neck, and he felt her tears on his skin. "It's my fault, I should have come here sooner…"

He shook his head violently. "No, you shouldn't have." He pulled away a little to look at her. "How are you?" he asked her. "What happened? Are you okay?"

She blew a strand of hair away from her face. "I'm fine," she said. "I… I escaped the hospital. I went to Shiz, to see Galinda. She helped me."

He breathed a sigh of relief. At least she had been sensible.

Her eyes filled with tears again when she saw the state his back was in from up close. "Oh, Fiyero, I'm so, so sorry –"

"Stop," he cut her off. "Stop right there." He wrapped his arms around her and crushed her against him, burying his face in her hair and breathing in her scent. She smelt like woods and a little bit like coconuts, though he wasn't sure where that scent came from. He pressed his cheek against her soft hair, closing his eyes.

"I'm so glad you're okay," he whispered. "I was so worried about you…" He pulled away again. "Why in Oz are you here?" he demanded, suddenly cross with her. "What were you doing, getting yourself caught? How did that even happen?"

She started carefully and gently removing the shreds of his shirt from the wounds on his back, whispering an apology every time he winced in pain. She told him how she had escaped from the hospital and what had happened afterwards.

"And this is part of your plan?" Fiyero asked her anxiously. "Please tell me getting thrown into Southstairs is part of some kind of master plan you and Galinda came up with."

She opened the Grimmerie and searched for the healing spell she had also cast on herself when the energy ball had hit her, then looked up at him with a small smile. "Of course it is. You know me."

"Exactly," he said, only half joking.

"And you know Galinda. She would have never let me leave without a plan."

He had to admit that that was true.

He watched her a bit warily as she stopped flipping through the pages of the Grimmerie and let her hands hover above his back. "What are you doing?"

Her smile widened and she kissed his cheek. "Trust me," she whispered.

He nodded and watched as she started casting the spell. He didn't fall unconscious, like she had; but he felt a sharp pain running down his back and he had to bite his lip to keep himself from crying out in pain.

Elphaba gently moved him to lie down on his side, cradling his head in her lap. He protested that they had to get going, but she shook her head. "We'll be fine," she said. "I cast a spell on the door. No-one can come in from the outside."

"It sounds like you thought this through," he muttered.

As she continued to stroke his hair, she explained to him that she had cast a shrinking spell on the Grimmerie to fit it in the waistband of her skirt, in order to keep the guards from noticing it. She had left her broomstick in the woods nearby and met up with Galinda, who had proceeded to take the green girl with her and into the Emerald Palace for a meeting with the Wizard. Galinda had written him a letter a few days prior - when they had come up with this plan – in which she explained that she had been in Sorcery class with Elphaba, that she could do great things with her magic, and that she would just _love _to work for the Wizard.

"He bought it," Elphaba told Fiyero. "Or, well, I think he did. He threw me into Southstairs, and if everything went according to plan, Galinda just charmed her way into the government."

"So this was bigger than just rescuing me," Fiyero concluded quietly. "You infiltrated the government."

She grinned at him. "Not bad for a blonde and a Wicked Witch, huh?"

He chuckled. "No. Not bad. Not bad at all. This way, you can work from both the inside and the outside… it's a smart move."

Elphaba kissed his forehead. "My main concern, though, is to get you out of here," she said. "I need to take you somewhere safe so you can heal. Galinda suggested her dorm room at Shiz."

"Fine," he agreed. "I'm fine with anything."

"Good. We won't be able to stay there for long, but for a few days, it's good enough." She helped him up, clutching the Grimmerie under her other arm. "Let's go."

"Wait." She turned large, questioning eyes on him, but before she could say anything, he had pulled her flush up against him and kissed her deeply, his hand tangling in her hair.

When they broke apart, they were panting slightly. "What was that for?" asked Elphaba, her voice breathless.

Fiyero stroked her cheek, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "I missed you," he confessed. "And I was worried about you. I mean, the last time I saw you up and about and completely healthy was weeks ago, before that energy ball hit you."

"I'm sorry," she began again, but he pressed his finger to her lips.

"Do you ever let anyone else talk?"

She stuck out her tongue at him.

He chuckled and took her hand, squeezing it. "Come on," he said. "Let's get out of here."

* * *

It took them quite some time to make their way out of Southstairs – even with Elphaba's magic at their disposal – and fly back towards Shiz, especially since they had to make their way through the Emerald City first to get to the woods to fetch Elphaba's broomstick; and when they finally did arrive at Galinda's dorm room, the bubbly blonde girl had beat them there.

She squealed when Elphaba and Fiyero came tumbling through the window. "You did it! Elphie, it worked! Our plan worked!" She threw her arms around Elphaba, then Fiyero. Only when he winced in pain did she notice the wounds on his back, and a flash of horror crossed Galinda's face.

"Lie down," she instructed. "On your stomach. No, not on the floor, stupid – on my bed of course!" She flapped her arms in indignation. "Do you really think I would let you sleep on the floor?"

Fiyero chuckled weakly. "You'd sacrifice your fluffy pink bed for me?"

"Of course," Galinda said matter-of-factly. "I let Elphie stay in it for four days, too – I actually slept on the floor. Can you believe it?"

"I wish my bed was still here," Elphaba muttered. "I feel kind of guilty for having you sleep on the floor for that long."

Galinda waved her away. "Don't be, Elphie," she said sternly. "I offered, didn't I? Okay, Fiyero – on your back, I'll go and grab some first aid stuff and treat those wounds. Elphie, I trust you already cast a spell on him?"

Elphaba nodded and Galinda took a good look at her friend. "Oh, dear," she sighed. "I _knew _we should have waited longer! You were by far not healthy enough to do this!"

"I'm fine," Elphaba protested weakly, but Galinda just threw her a look. "You look as pale as a ghost," she commented, "which is funny, given that you're usually _green_. You're sweating, which probably means your fever is back, and you look like you're going to crash to the floor any moment now. Elphaba Thropp, I _told _you we should have waited longer – flying on a broomstick, spending half an hour in those cold and mouldy dungeons, not to mention all the spells you've been casting… using magic drains your energy, remember? I can't believe I even let you do this in the first place," Galinda ranted on.

"Waited longer?" Elphaba glared at the blonde. "And what do you think would have happened to Fiyero if we had waited even longer?"

Galinda faltered and cast a guilty glance at Fiyero's back. "Alright, good point," she conceded. "But still – you do _not _look well. I'm going to draw you a nice bath, and then I'm going to treat your burns and change your bandage, and then I'm going to put you to bed next to Fiyero and you'll be fine again," she sang, almost bouncing into the bathroom.

Galinda ushered Elphaba into the bath and switched between tending to Fiyero's wounds and checking up on her best friend for the next quarter of an hour. Finally, she bandaged Fiyero up and told him to try and get some sleep, before swiftly hurrying back into the bathroom to help Elphaba. After Elphaba had dried herself off, Galinda carefully tended to her burns, causing the green girl to bite down on her lip in pain. Galinda gently rubbed the cream into the marred skin, then bandaged her former roommate up as well and put her in an ivory-coloured nightgown she found somewhere in her closet. She nearly shoved Elphaba into the bed, pulled open her mouth and pushed a thermometer under her tongue.

Elphaba scowled. "Galinda!" she protested, the words almost indistinguishable because of the thermometer in her mouth.

Galinda tilted her head to the side a little. "What was the routine again? Bathe, burn cream, bandage, take temperature…"

"Fever pills?" Elphaba suggested.

The blonde brightened. "Yes! That's it!" She rummaged through a cupboard and pulled out a strip of pills, taking two and shoving them into Fiyero's mouth before handing the prince a glass of water and helping him up a little so that he could swallow the pills. After that, she helped him back down again and pulled the thermometer from Elphaba's mouth.

She gasped. "Oh my Oz, Elphie!" she shrieked.

"What?" Elphaba mumbled, feeling sleepy now that the adrenaline of their mission had finally worn off.

Galinda shoved the thermometer under her nose. "That's one hundred and four degrees, Elphie!" she cried. "Does that mean your life is in danger? Should I call an ambulance? You're not dying, are you?"

Fiyero, who had been dozing, immediately opened his eyes. "Dying? What?" He tried to struggle himself into a sitting position.

"Stay down, Yero," Elphaba muttered irritably. "I'm not dying. I just have a fever, Galinda, stop overreacting."

"Overreacting?" Galinda started flapping her arms again. "I'm not overreacting! I'm… I'm…"

"Overreacting?" Elphaba supplied helpfully.

"Yes!"

Elphaba smirked.

"No! I mean no!" Galinda cried. "I'm not…" She sighed and glared at Elphaba. "Okay, fine, but… but if that fever gets any higher, I'm taking you to Marlyn! Or I'm bringing Marlyn here, whatever…"

"Fine," Elphaba agreed wearily, and Galinda pried her friend's mouth open and shoved four pills down her throat.

"Now sleep," she ordered. "I'll keep an eye on you both."

Fiyero rolled over on his side to look at Elphaba worriedly. "Fae?"

"I'm fine, Yero," she murmured, snuggling into his side and closing her eyes. Fiyero exchanged a worried glance with Galinda.

"Don't worry, Fifi," the blonde said softly. "Like I said, I'll keep an eye on you both. I won't let anything happen to her. Promise."

Reassured by that – a little, anyway – Fiyero wrapped his arms around the green girl and closed his eyes as well.


	11. Chapter 11 Trouble, trouble, trouble

**AN: This chapter is a bit shorter than usual. The reason for that is that I _really _wanted to end it where I did. You'll see what I mean by that. And you'll hate me. Remember that I promised Elphaba'sGirl to _not_ add this story to the ones that left her crying in the end, and keep that in mind as you come for me with your pitchforks.**

**BlueD, I'd _love _to hang out with you sometimes :P.**

**This chapter is for Steph, because she's on a twelve-hour bus ride and she asked for this. This chapter is most definitely _not _for Xanne-Li, because her one-shot was just too mean for words. Speaking of chasing people with pitchforks... *glares at Xanne-Li***

* * *

**Chapter 11. Trouble, trouble, trouble**

"This is just like the time when we were both sick after that dance," Fiyero mumbled. "All the way back when we were still going to Shiz, when we had only just gotten together… Remember?"

He was lying on his stomach, since his back still stung too much to put any pressure on it. His left arm was slung over Elphaba's stomach, keeping her close to him; she had nestled her head in the crook of his neck, and their legs were entwined.

She grumbled something under her breath. "You mean after our dear Miss Galinda had locked us both outside in the rain?"

"Oh, Elphie." Galinda shook her head from her spot at the vanity. "You should thank me for that, really. If I hadn't done that, you and Fiyero would never have gotten back together – you were so stubborn!"

Elphaba snorted. Fiyero chuckled softly.

"That hasn't even been a year yet," he said then, surprised at that thought. "Has it?"

Galinda shook her head. "Seven or eight months, or something," she said. "No more. Can you believe it?"

"It feels like yesterday," Elphaba murmured. "Yero and I were in the bed together, and he fed me chicken soup, and Galinda spent three hours whining over the fact that there was snot coming out of my nose and bacteria in the room, before leaving us alone to go out with Pfannee and Shenshen."

Galinda giggled. "Yes, well, I _hate _snot," she declared, tossing her hair. She grimaced. "And I _hate _bactilerias."

Fiyero and Elphaba both burst out laughing. "Bacteria, Galinda," Fiyero managed to get out between laughter. "What's so hard about the word 'bacteria'?"

Galinda huffed. "Too many syllables." She turned around and moved into their small kitchen to get herself something to drink.

"I hate being sick," Elphaba muttered, letting her head drop back against the pillows.

"Oh, I don't know." Fiyero nuzzled her cheek, then rubbed his nose against hers. "I think it's quite comfy."

Elphaba murmured something unintelligible.

Fiyero pulled back, his blue eyes filled with concern. "Your skin feels hot."

An impatient sigh. "Fiyero."

"Glin? Could you take her temperature again?"

"_Fiyero_."

"Shush, Fae."

She opened one eye to glare at him. "Do you _want _me to hex you?"

"As if you're in any condition to do so," he said a bit crossly. "Galinda, take her temperature. Now."

Elphaba opened her mouth to say something, but before she could make a sound, Galinda had already hurried back into the room and shoved the temperature under her tongue.

Elphaba spluttered, "Would you stop doing that?!"

"Hm, what? Sorry, Elphie, I can't really understand you – there's a thermometer in your mouth."

Elphaba glared at her friend. Galinda just smirked.

When the blonde pulled the thermometer out of her mouth, Elphaba immediately started protesting again. "Would you two stop fussing? Fiyero's the one that got whipped, not me!"

"Fiyero is also the one whose wounds are healing properly," Galinda said, clearly annoyed with her former roommate.

"My wounds are healing just fine!"

"Fiyero is _also _the one who is _not _currently running a fever of a hundred and two degrees."

"A hundred and two?!" Fiyero gave her that look again – the one that told her he was going to fuss over her and worry about her to the point where she would be sorely tempted to strangle him with her bare hands.

"Well, that's good, isn't it?" Elphaba tried. "It's gone down… a little," she added weakly upon seeing the looks on Fiyero and Galinda's faces. "Last time it was a hundred and four, so…"

"Elphaba," Galinda said, and the fact that she used Elphaba's full name told the green girl just how serious her friend was about this. "This is not good and you know it. It's been three days since we rescued Fiyero from Southstairs. _He _has been healing well enough. _You_, on the other hand…"

"Galinda…"

"Elphie, please," the blonde said, sitting down on the edge of the bed and looking at her friend solemnly. "Your fever should have broken by now. I'm worried about you."

"Well, don't be."

"Galinda?"

The blonde girl looked at Fiyero, who was looking at her with anxious sapphire blue eyes.

"Maybe you should go and get Marlyn," he said.

"Fiyero, no –"

"I think so, too." Galinda got up from the bed and went to grab her cloak. She hesitated, however, and turned back towards her friends in the bed. "Will you be okay? I mean, I'll be gone for a while – even by bubble it takes me a couple of hours to get to the hospital, and then I still have to get back…"

"We'll be fine, Galinda," Fiyero said softly. "Just hurry, please."

Galinda flashed him a quick smile. "I will." With that, she left.

Elphaba turned to lie on her side – the one that was not burnt – to face Fiyero. "Yero, I swear I'm fi-"

"You're not fine," he cut her off, "and you know that as well as I do."

She kept quiet.

He pulled her closer, resting his forehead against hers. "Fae," he said. "I love you."

Those words never failed to make her smile. "I know. I love you, too."

"And I don't want to lose you. No, scratch that – I _can't _lose you. You're the best thing that ever happened to me, Elphaba, and… and if something happened to you…" He tried his hardest to keep his voice neutral and steady, but it broke as he said that last part.

"Fiyero!" She was shocked – he could tell.

She cradled his face in her hands, forcing him to look into her eyes. "Yero," she said softly. "Nothing's going to happen to me. It's just a fever."

"It could be an infection," he pointed out to her, his voice definitely shaking now. "What if you…" He couldn't finish that sentence.

She kissed him softly, snuggling closer to him. "I won't, Yero," she whispered. "I promise." She looked up at him with a wry smile. "Come on – I'm the Wicked Witch of the West. If I'm going to die, I'm going to find a more spectacular way to do that than through a stupid fever."

He smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes.

She stroked his cheek and kissed him again before burrowing into him, burying her face in his shoulder. "Don't worry, Yero," she whispered. "I'll be fine."

He didn't believe her, but he didn't push the matter – he just pulled her closer and hoped with all his might that she would be okay.

* * *

"Excuse me?" Galinda tentatively touched the arm of one of the nurses that were talking about some paperwork. "I'm looking for a nurse named Marlyn?"

The nurse looked up, her mind clearly elsewhere. "Hm? Oh, Marlyn?" She absent-mindedly flipped a page of the paperwork, looking at the other nurse. "Do you happen to know if Marlyn is on duty, Lela?"

The other nurse shook her head. "I'm sorry," she said to Galinda. "Marlyn doesn't work the night shift today. She won't be back until morning – I believe her shift starts at eight."

Galinda bit her lip. She really didn't want to leave Elphaba and Fiyero alone for so long, but she didn't really have a choice, now did she? She sighed. Leaving without having seen Marlyn was not an option. She knew that Fiyero was right to be worried about Elphaba – she shared his worry. Without medication, the green girl would only get worse – it was clear that her wound must be infected or something, or she wouldn't be running a high fever still. Galinda just needed to speak to Marlyn, if only for a few minutes. The nurse would give her some kind of medicine to help Elphaba, Galinda would quickly travel back to Shiz in her bubble, Elphaba would get the medicine, her fever would break and she'd be fine again, and that would be it.

Okay, maybe it wasn't that simple.

But she still needed to speak to Marlyn.

"Is there someone else who can help you?" the second nurse, Lela, asked the blonde girl now. "Do you have a problem that needs medical attention?"

Galinda shook her head. "It's personal," she said. "I'm a friend of Marlyn's, and I… I need her help with something."

The other two nurses gave her sympathetic glances. "You can wait in the hall, if you want to," the first nurse offered. "You can get coffee and something to eat there as you wait for Marlyn. She comes in through the back door sometimes, but if she does, she still has to report to the nurses' station before she gets to work. I'll come and fetch you the moment she does, okay?"

Galinda flashed the other two girls a quick smile. "Okay. Thank you," she said politely, before turning around and taking a seat in the large hall.

She sighed. This was going to be a long night.

* * *

It was later that night that Fiyero suddenly found himself roughly shaken from his sleep by Elphaba's flailing limbs.

He was awake in an instant. "Fae?"

She was thrashing, beads of perspiration visible on her face. Her brow was furrowed and she was whimpering.

"Fae." He stroked her hair away from her face, trying to wake her up gently. "Shh, it's okay, sweetheart. It's okay. You're just having a bad dream." He kept on talking to her and she seemed to calm down a little, but then she gasped and cried out his name, and he panicked. "Elphaba!" He started shaking her. Hard. "Elphaba, I'm fine. I'm right here. You're just dreaming, that's all. Come on, Fae, wake up!"

She didn't.

He felt her forehead. She was burning up. Quite literally – even without a thermometer, he was almost positive that her temperature had risen above a hundred and four degrees by now.

He moves as quickly as he could with his injured back, soaking a piece of cloth with water and placing it on her forehead, trying to coax her into swallowing some more of the pills that would lower her fever. He got her to drink a bit of water and he managed to get two of the pills into her, but she was drowsy and unfocused. She murmured his name once, but she barely even opened her eyes; and she sunk back into sleep – or unconsciousness? – almost immediately after.

He crawled back into the bed with her, not really sure what else to do. He held her, whispered soothing words in her ear and dabbed at her forehead with the cold cloth, but it didn't seem to help at all.

_Galinda, please hurry up_, he begged the blonde silently.

When he heard a sound in the hallway, he thought his prayers had been answered and Galinda had returned – either with Marlyn, or with medicine from Marlyn to get Elphaba's fever to break.

What he had _not _expected was to find the Gale Force barging into the room.


	12. Chapter 12 Kill the Witch

**AN: So I managed to agitate all of you? Good. Mission accomplished *evil witch cackle*.**

**Caricature of a Witch: I LOVE YODA.**

**You won't like me much more after this chapter, but I _promise _that I will stick to my earlier promise ^_^. Only a few more chapters to go after this one... two or three, I think.**

* * *

**Chapter 12. Kill the Witch**

"There she is!" one of the soldiers yelled, and before Fiyero knew it, they were swarming into the room. One of them tried to grab Elphaba, but Fiyero pulled her towards him, wrapping his arms around her protectively.

"Hand her over now," the soldier growled, "and no-one will get hurt."

"Please," Fiyero pleaded desperately. "She's sick, she has a fever! If you take her to Southstairs, she'll die!"

"Don't worry, son," another soldier said with a smug grin. "She won't be in Southstairs long enough for her to die of her fever – the Witch will be executed before the sun sets tomorrow!" He roared a laugh.

Fiyero's grip on the dark-haired witch tightened.

"Now let go of her," one of the men commanded.

Fiyero shook his head. "Never."

A soldier roughly pushed the back of his rifle into Fiyero's marred back, causing him to scream out in pain. Two other soldiers pried Elphaba from his grip and dragged her out of the bed. They tried to set her down on her feet, but she was too weak to stand; and when they tried to lift her up, she started writhing. Her eyes half-opened. "Fiyero?" she mumbled drowsily.

The soldiers laughed. "You wish," one of them smirked. He gestured towards Fiyero. "Bring him along. He's been helping the Witch – he needs to be punished for his crimes."

Fiyero struggled, but they were stronger and he was outnumbered; and before long, he found himself locked up in a prisoner's carriage, a carriage made of steel with a tiny window blocked by metal bars. Thankfully there was only one of those, so he and Elphaba were locked up in it together.

He cradled her close to his chest, whispering soothing words in her ear. She still didn't wake up, but she calmed down considerably, burrowing into his chest. He felt her forehead. She needed medical attention, and she needed it soon.

He looked out the window. He could already see the Emerald City in the distance. Only a few more hours and they'd reach their destination… he shuddered. Oz, he hoped Galinda could do something. After all, she had some influence now…

His thoughts trailed off when he realised that that wasn't true. The Gale Force had found them in Galinda's dorm room; they must know the blonde was working with them. He panicked a little. Not only could Galinda not help them now; she herself was in grave danger, and she didn't even know it… and he had no way to warn her.

He buried his face in Elphaba's silky hair and prayed for a miracle.

* * *

"Galinda?" The blonde was shaken from sleep by a hand on her arm.

She started, then saw it was Marlyn. She rubbed her eyes, stretched, and yawned. "Hey. What time is it?"

"Eight in the morning," Marlyn said. "My shift starts now, but some of the other nurses told me you were waiting for me here." Her hazel eyes were clouded with concern. "Come on, let's talk someplace private."

Galinda agreed and followed the other girl through a few hallways and into an empty room, like last time. Marlyn closed the door behind them and turned around, biting her lip worriedly. "Galinda?"

The blonde sighed, fingering a perfect golden curl. "We managed to save Fiyero," she said. "He was whipped, but he's healing quite well. Elphie's running a high fever, though, and Fiyero and I agreed that we needed to ask you for help… her temperature has been somewhere in between a hundred and two and a hundred and four for the past few days."

Marlyn was eyeing her with a funny look on her face. "Galinda," she whispered. "When did you leave them?"

Galinda furrowed her brow – all her life, she had made a point of _never _doing that, because Oz forbade she got wrinkles, but some situations just asked for it. "Last night," she said. "I arrived here around eleven, and I spent the night in that chair in the hall – which was very uncomfortable, I might add…"

Marlyn looked pale. "So… you haven't heard yet?"

An uneasy feeling settled in the pit of Galinda's stomach. "Heard what, Marlyn?"

"All of Oz is buzzing with the news, Galinda," Marlyn said, rubbing her forehead tiredly. "The Wicked Witch of the West has been captured. She will be executed tonight at nightfall."

Icy cold shivers ran down Galinda's spine. "What?"

"They say she was found last night in the presence of Prince Fiyero Tiggular of the Vinkus," Marlyn said softly. "He has been marked an accomplice to the Witch. They're both in Southstairs right now."

Galinda suddenly felt very faint. Slowly, she lowered herself into a chair, her entire body shaking.

Marlyn knelt down in front of her. "Galinda," she said urgently, placing her hands on the other blonde's shoulders. "Can they be linked to you in any way? Is there any evidence that you have been helping them? You might be in trouble as well."

Galinda looked at the nurse as if she had gone crazy. "Linked to them in any way?" she echoed flatly. "Marlyn… they were staying in my dorm room at Shiz University. In my bed. Amidst all of my things."

Marlyn looked like she had swallowed something sour.

"I can't go back now," Galinda whispered, burying her face in her hands. "I can't go back to the Emerald Palace – they know who I really am now, they know I'm not on their side… I can't go back to Shiz, because they'll be there, just waiting to capture me. There's no way I can help Elphie and Fiyero now without ending up in Southstairs myself…" She moaned and pulled at her hair. "What in Oz am I going to do?"

Marlyn placed a comforting hand on the blonde's shoulder. "You're welcome to stay here," she said quietly. "If you want to."

Galinda shook her head. "What am I going to do here?" she wanted to know. "Oh, Oz, I need to help them, I have to do… I don't know, _something_! I can't just let them execute my best friend!"

"Is there anyone you can ask for help?" Marlyn tried to help the blonde's thought process. "Someone who can do magic, or someone with a different kind of power?"

"Power…" Galinda mused. Slowly, her face brightened. "Power… Fiyero's parents!" She jumped to her feet and quickly hugged Marlyn. "Thank you so much for your help," she told her solemnly. Then she rushed out of the room and out of the hospital. She quickly summoned her bubble and within mere minutes, she was flying through the air, on her way to the Vinkus.

* * *

"Well, well, well." Morrible smirked maliciously as she laid eyes on the pathetic heap of green skin and black fabric in the corner of the cell. "What do we have here? Not so fiery now, are we, Miss Elphaba?"

"She's unconscious," Fiyero said through gritted teeth. He was in the cell opposite Elphaba's, clutching the bars as he glared at the old fish. "She's sick. She has a fever."

Morrible studied the green girl, smiling smugly when she saw Elphaba's side. "Ah, yes. Infected burn wounds, if I'm not wrong." She tapped her chin and cocked her head, as if she was thinking about something. "Does that by any chance have anything to do with an energy ball?"

Fiyero glowered at her.

Morrible threw her head back and cackled. "Oh, come on, dearie," she said, turning to face Fiyero. "That was her own fault, really. She should have known she couldn't take me out that easily." She directed burning eyes at Elphaba again. "And now she will pay for that. Tell me, Master Fiyero – what do you think would be the best way to execute her? What would be most painful?" She thought about that for a few moments. "Of course I could just let her die because of this fever, but right now she's so dazed she probably won't even notice it. A firing squad would be too quick… the gallows? Maybe…"

"I hope you burn in hell!" Fiyero hissed at the old hag.

"Burn…" Morrible mused. Her face lit up. "Of course… burn. That's a good idea, Master Fiyero." She smirked at him. "We shall _burn _the Witch!"

Fiyero's eyes widened. Morrible just cackled again. "Men!" she shouted. "Go on and build a stake in the middle of the Emerald Square! The Wicked Witch will burn!"

The Gale Force soldiers all cheered as they hurried out of the dungeons, ready to carry out their task.

"Now, if you will excuse me, Your Royal Highness," Morrible said with a mock bow in Fiyero's direction, "I must speak with His Ozness. We must promote the execution of your little green friend and we have some festivities to plan!" With that and a swish of her skirts, she turned around and followed the Gale Force out of Southstairs and back to the Emerald Palace.

* * *

"Fiyero…" she moaned softly. She tried to open her eyes, but they felt strangely heavy. She was vaguely aware of the fact that she was lying on something hard and that it was cold around her, but she found that she could barely move. Where was she? What had happened?

"Fae?" That was one voice that cut through her feverish daze, as it always did.

She tried to blink, but her eyes still wouldn't open. "Fiyero…" she whimpered.

"Shh, it's okay," he tried to reassure her. "You're running a fever, but you'll be fine, Elphaba, don't worry."

She wrinkled her nose. It smelled strange in here… or was that just her? What was Fiyero saying? A fever? She found that she couldn't really focus on anything. She wanted to ask him where she was, what was going on, but her body just wouldn't work with her and she couldn't produce many words.

"Fae? Can you hear me?"

She murmured something unintelligible, which didn't really reassure him. "Fae, please say something."

She managed to open her eyes a little, squinting, then frowning upon seeing the strange things around her. What was her mother doing here? And why were she and Galinda dancing together?

"Daddy…" she whispered when she saw Frex advancing on her, glaring at her. "Daddy, please don't hurt me…"

"You are a disgrace!" he shouted at her, but as he spoke, his face turned to that of her sister. "You are an aberration," Nessa hissed, before her face morphed into that of Madame Morrible, her eyes gleaming maliciously. "You will burn!" she sang out.

"No…" Elphaba tried to crawl back into a corner, writhing and squirming.

Morrible came closer, holding up a torch. "Say goodbye, Miss Elphaba!" She brought the torch closer, ready to set the green girl on fire.

"No!" Elphaba cried out, cowering.

"Elphaba!" Fiyero's voice shouted, and Morrible abruptly disappeared.

Elphaba blinked. Where did that old hag go?

"Fae, it's okay," Fiyero said, trying to make his voice sound soothing, but she could hear the edge of panic to it. It made her frown. Why was he panicking? "It's okay, sweetheart, it's not real. It's not real."

She blinked again. "Yero?"

"I'm here," he said. "I'm right here, Fae. I'm fine, and you're going to be fine, too. Just wait and see."

In a brief moment of clarity, she whispered, "You're lying."

He kept silent, stunned.

"I'm not going to be fine," she whispered, suddenly seeing that clearly. "They're going to kill me, aren't they?"

"Fae…" His voice was almost pleading. She knew he wanted to protect her from the truth, especially now that she was, apparently, sick, but she had never liked being lied to and she could always tell when _he _was lying. Even now. She may be sick, but she wasn't stupid.

"Southstairs," she whispered, finally recognising her surroundings. "They're going to execute me…"

"Fae, no," he said, clearly trying to sound strong, but his voice was trembling. "I won't let them."

"I don't think you have any say in that, Yero," she whispered, closing her eyes for a moment. She was starting to feel dizzy and disoriented again, her fever catching up with her.

As if that was their cue, the door to the dungeons suddenly opened and four Gale Force soldiers marched into the hallway again.

Fiyero immediately flew up to the bars. "No!" he shouted desperately. "Please don't take her!"

Three of them went to open Elphaba's cell and the fourth turned to Fiyero. "Sorry, son," he said. "We have our orders."

"Please," Fiyero begged them. "She's sick… please don't!"

"Orders are orders," another soldier said brusquely as his colleagues dragged Elphaba out of her cell.

"At least let me say goodbye," he asked pleadingly, and they looked at each other for a moment before one of them nodded.

"Fine," he said. "You have a minute."

They brought her up to the bars of his cell and he reached out to take her hand in his, squeezing it softly. "Fae?" he whispered.

Her eyes fluttered open to look at him. She seemed strangely calm. "Yero…" she murmured. "It's okay."

Tears stung his eyes. "I'm so sorry," he whispered brokenly. "I'm so sorry I couldn't protect you."

She brought her hand up to his face, laying it flat against his cheek. "It's okay," she whispered. "That was never your task to begin with. It'll be okay, Yero…"

"Just stay strong," he told her, his voice breaking. "It'll be over before you know it."

She smiled weakly. "I love you."

The tears fell. "I love you, too."

"That's enough," one of the soldiers said, and the others pulled Elphaba away from the bars. Fiyero clutched them, watching with tears dripping down his face as they took the love of his life away to be executed. The sound of the heavy door slamming shut must be the most awful and final sound he had ever heard.

He punched his fist into the wall and screamed, but there was no-one left to hear him.


	13. Chapter 13 A sentimental man

**AN: I'm not even sure why I'm doing this. I mean, I've had worse cliffhangers. I've seen worse reviews and worse threats. But for some reason, I just felt bad for you :'). I think I'm turning into a softie.**

**So... just this once (also because it's almost Christmas, the season of the heart, a special time of caring... virtual cookies for those who know what that is from), two chapters in one day!**

**EmeraldReine, here you go ;) and don't feel bad about that! It's your story, just write when you want to write, send it to me when you want to send it, and if you don't want to send it at all, that's fine as well. And really, don't apologise! I'm here for your convenience ;).**

**Elphaba'sGirl: I _always _keep my promises. I promise.**

**BlueD, I love that ending :P.**

* * *

**Chapter 13. A sentimental man**

She dreamt that she was lying in a huge four-poster bed, with silken curtains draped over the top of it. There were fluffy pillows all around her, she was covered by a warm blanket and it felt like she was lying on a cloud. Melena was standing at the foot of her bed, smiling at her eldest daughter. She opened her mouth and sang a song.

Someone was clutching her hand, whispering, "I'm sorry, Elphaba… Oh, God, I am so sorry." She had no idea who 'God' was – the Unnamed God, most likely – or who was speaking, but the person sounded so pained that she wanted to comfort him. She couldn't, though – she still couldn't move.

Morrible's cackle haunted her dreams, as well as her sister's face, her pretty features twisted into an expression of disgust, eyes narrowed. "I am ashamed to be your sister," she hissed, before suddenly disappearing.

"Mum?" she asked Melena when she appeared by her bedside again. "Am I dreaming?"

"Maybe," Melena said mysteriously. "Maybe not. You've got a fever, Fabala."

Elphaba frowned. She knew that. What she wanted to know was what had happened after she had said goodbye to Fiyero…

Fiyero.

Suddenly it was him instead of her mother sitting next to her bedside. "I love you," he said, before turning into Galinda.

"Elphie!" the blonde squealed. "I want to give you a makeover!"

Then it was Melena again, smiling. "It's okay, Fabala," she said in a soothing voice. "Don't worry."

Elphaba scrunched up her nose. "Am I dead?" she asked. She had mixed feelings about that, really. On the one hand, if she really was dead, at least she hadn't felt any pain as it happened – she didn't even remember it. Was that because of the fever?

On the other hand she felt incredibly sad that she had had to leave Fiyero all by himself.

She was looking at her mother for an answer, but Melena disappeared again and everything went white.

* * *

Fiyero was lying in a corner of his cell, curled up in a ball, crying.

He didn't even care if anyone saw him like this. There was a time once, a long, long time ago, that he wouldn't have wanted anyone to see him crying, to see him vulnerable and weak; but right now he could care less.

He had no clue as to how much time had passed. She wasn't dead yet, was she? He would have felt it, he was sure of that. If she died, he would feel it, but he hadn't felt anything.

Or maybe he was all wrong about that. Maybe people couldn't feel it when other people died, no matter how strong the bond between those persons was or how much they loved one another. Maybe it had already happened. Maybe she was already gone…

Fresh tears welled up in his eyes and he buried his face in his hands.

When the heavy door opened, he didn't even respond at first. Footsteps resounded through the hallways and only when they came to a halt in front of his cell door did he look up, raising his head just enough to see two Gale Force soldiers standing there.

They seemed surprised at his tears, but they didn't say anything about it. Instead, one of them opened the door to Fiyero's cell and the other came inside.

"If you're here to kill me," Fiyero croaked, "then just get it over with."

The soldiers exchanged another surprised look. "That's not why we're here," the one in the cell said. "We have orders to escort you to the Wizard's private chambers."

Even in his grief-stricken and dazed state, he realised that this was strange, and he finally really looked up at them, his confusion written all over his face. "The Wizard's _private _chambers?" he echoed.

The guard standing at his cell door nodded. "Yes," he said. "His Ozness said that everything will be explained to you once you arrive there. We have orders to take you there."

Fiyero allowed them to pull him to his feet and they practically dragged him along, out of the dungeons and through hallways of the Palace, up stairs and through doors, until Fiyero had no idea where he was anymore. He was escorted into a room and then left alone.

Moments later, another door opened and the Wizard stepped out.

"Prince Fiyero," he said, nodding his head. "You can call me Oscar, that's my real name…" He faltered when he saw the state the prince was in. "Fiyero?" Understanding dawned in his eyes. "This is because of her, isn't it?" he asked, genuinely curious. "You really love her that much?"

The prince looked up and for the first time since he had entered the room, Oscar saw something flicker in his sapphire blue eyes.

"She means everything to me," was all Fiyero said, and the Wizard smiled at him.

"I was going to talk to you," he said. "I needed to verify some things with you, but that can wait. I think I need to show you something first." He beckoned the prince, gesturing for him to follow, as he disappeared again through the door he had first entered through. Fiyero slowly followed him, unsure as to what he would find inside.

His wildest imaginations, though, could not have prepared him for what he actually did find inside.

He stood there gaping for a few long moment before he ran towards the huge bed, falling down on his knees next to it and clutching one green hand in his own. "Fae?"

She murmured something, but didn't stir.

"She's under heavy medication," Oscar said from where he was still standing in the doorway. "Her fever was quite severe, but don't worry – the doctors said she'll be fine. Her life is no longer in danger."

Fiyero looked up at him, suddenly suspicious. "Why are you doing this?" he asked the Wizard warily. "The last time I saw you, you declared her a Wicked Witch; and only a few hours ago she was still in Southstairs, waiting to be…" He swallowed. "…executed."

Oscar smiled tensely. "Yes, well, that was before…" He sighed and his shoulders slumped. "Before I found out that she is my daughter."

Fiyero choked. "_What_?!"

Sensing that Fiyero wouldn't want to leave her now, Oscar pulled a chair over and sat down, while Fiyero perched on the bed.

"When my men came to arrest you," the Wizard began, "they took her things as well. Her hat, her broomstick… and inside her hat, they… they found something." He pulled out a small bottle made of emerald green glass.

Fiyero nodded, dazed. "Her mother's bottle."

"Melena…" Oscar sighed, rubbing his temple. "I have one of those," he said quietly. "An identical one. I made two, and I gave one of those to Melena, a woman I had a short affair with while I was in Munchkinland nearly twenty-three years ago."

"Frex isn't her father," Fiyero whispered, understanding. "You are."

Oscar nodded sadly. "And I didn't know," he said, clearly regretting that fact. "I didn't know, or I would have done things differently. I tried to kill my own daughter…" He trailed off, then looked up at Fiyero. "I'm sorry," he said. "I really, truly am sorry. I should never have done this in the first place. I was blinded by greed and power, and I did some horrible things… I regret that more than anything. I wish I could do things over."

"But you can't."

"No," Oscar acknowledged. "I can't. But I can try to do better from now on." He looked at the dark-haired witch in the bed. "I could try to get her to forgive me."

Fiyero scoffed softly.

Oscar sighed. "I know," he said. "It won't be easy. I might not even succeed at all. But saving her life and getting you out of Southstairs must be worth _something_, right?"

"If it weren't for you, she wouldn't have needed saving in the first place," Fiyero said quietly. "And I wouldn't have been in Southstairs, either."

Oscars shoulders slumped. "You're right." He ran his fingers through his hair. "You're completely right, of course, but I… I will clear her name," he said. "And I sent Morrible off to Southstairs – I discovered lately that she had been giving orders in my name that I never approved of and that she has abused her power, and for that she will be punished. I'm going to put an end to the Animal Banns and make sure Animals are introduced back into society. I will make sure that Elphaba gets better and that her name is cleared, that she will be free again to do whatever she wishes, and… and if she still hates me after that, so be it. But this is something I have to do." Much to Fiyero's astonishment, there were actually tears in the Wizard's eyes. "She's my _daughter_," he said, his voice shaking a little. "I've always wanted a daughter… I've always wanted a child. And look what I did to her."

Fiyero was actually starting to feel a bit sorry for the older man. "She might forgive you," he said.

Oscar looked up.

"It won't be easy," the Vinkun prince said. "You have hurt her in so many ways, and she won't be able to get past that very easily, but… but Fae has the biggest heart of everyone I know. If you're genuine, and I think you are, then I'm sure she'll give you a second chance. Eventually."

Oscar gave him a shaky smile. "I hope so, Master Fiyero," he said, suddenly sounding tired and looking thirty years older than his age. "I really hope so." He rose to his feet. "I will leave you two alone now," he said. "She could wake up, but the doctor warned me that she might be a bit drowsy if she does. It's nothing to worry about – the medication he had to give her was quite heavy – but she probably won't be responsive until a few days from now, when the medication has completely worn off."

Fiyero nodded, still holding Elphaba's hand. "Okay."

Oscar gave him a final, weary smile, then left the room.

Fiyero climbed into the bed with Elphaba, lying on his side to spare his whipped back and drawing her into his arms. "Fae?" he whispered, gently brushing her hair away from her face. "Can you hear me?"

She moaned softly; then her eyes slowly fluttered open. They were hazy and unfocused, but at least they were open.

"Yero?" she croaked softly, and it took him all he had not to burst into tears.

Instead, he just stroked her back. "It's me, Fae," he whispered, his voice thick with pent-up emotion. "I'm right here. You're safe now, sweetheart. You're going to be okay. You're safe, and so am I, and I'm going to stay right here with you until you are better, okay?"

"Okay," she mumbled faintly, eyes already closing again. Fiyero kissed the top of her head, then pressed his cheek to it, allowing his own eyes to close as well now that he knew she would be okay.

* * *

When he woke up, an hour or so later, the room was still dark, heavy curtains covering the large windows. He blinked a few times, stretching carefully. The wounds on his back itched, but then everything that had happened came rushing back to him and he quickly turned towards Elphaba.

She was curled up on her side, with one arm under her head, still sleeping peacefully. He reached out to feather-lightly trace her featured with his fingers. She wrinkled her nose and stirred, but she didn't wake up.

Fiyero exhaled slowly, realising that it was really over now. The Wizard was on their side. Not only was Elphaba safe now and would she be completely healthy again; she wouldn't have to fight anymore. Her days as the Wicked Witch of the West were over. He wondered what Oscar would tell the people, but he didn't really care. He would think of something.

Suddenly, there was a lot of commotion in the hallway – footsteps and angry voices. Fiyero pushed himself up in order to take a good look at the door, which opened mere clock-ticks later, only to reveal…

"Galinda?"

The blonde stopped dead in her tracks. "_Fiyero_?!" Her gaze drifted towards the green girl next to him. "_Elphie_?! But… but…"

"What's the matter, Galinda?" Fiyero's jaw quite literally dropped when he saw that the blonde girl was followed by none other than Hamold and Lori Tiggular. His parents.

"Yero!" Lori cried, rushing across the room to hug her son. Hamold just stayed in the doorway, blinking.

"What in Oz…" he began, but Fiyero cut him off.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, looking from his mother to Galinda and back.

Galinda looked a bit crestfallen. "We… we came to rescue you," she said, pouting a little. "When I got to the hospital I heard about you two getting captured, and then I went to the Vinkus in my bubble and told your parents, and we got here just in time, because the sun is almost setting, and we thought we could do this great rescuing thing in which we would free Elphie and kidnap her to the Vinkus and then let your parents talk the Wizard into letting you go as well and we'd be your heroes and you and Elphie would live happily ever after in the Vinkus and…" She cut herself off when she realised she was rambling. "Fiyero, what in Oz happened?" she demanded instead.

Oscar slipped past Hamold, moving closer to have a better look at his daughter, but Galinda stepped forward, hands on her hips, chin raised. "I don't think so," she declared. She pointed one finger at him, nearly jabbing it into his chest. "You stay away from Elphie!"

"Glin, it's okay," Fiyero said, forcing himself to move away from Elphaba and step in between the bed and their unexpected guests. "It's a long story, though. I think we'd better all sit down somewhere." He hated to leave Elphaba behind, but this was something that needed to happen. Besides, this discussion might get heated, and he didn't want to wake her up. She needed her rest.

It took Fiyero and Oscar the better part of an hour to explain everything to Lori, Hamold and Galinda – especially Galinda, who kept on glaring at the Wizard through narrowed eyes – but eventually they accepted the explanation.

"We'll be staying here in the Palace," Hamold told his son, but he was looking at Oscar, daring the other man to refuse.

Oscar, however, just nodded. "You're welcome to stay for as long as you'd like," he said faintly.

Hamold looked at Fiyero now, his face softening. "We know by now that you really love this girl, Yero," he said. "Just stay here and take care of her. If you need us, we're right down the hall."

Fiyero smiled at his parents gratefully. "Thanks, Dad. You too, Mum."

Lori smiled at him.

Galinda accepted Oscar's offer to stay in the adjoining room, not wanting to be too far away from Elphaba, but at the same time wanting to give Elphaba and Fiyero their privacy, because she realised they needed one another right now.

Fiyero stayed with the green girl constantly. He slept with her in his arms, and when he was awake, he would often read or just watch her as she slept. Galinda came by several times that day and Oscar stopped by twice, but although Elphaba opened her eyes every now and then, she never seemed to be fully awake.

Late that night, when Fiyero was just dozing off, her voice started him from his sleep. "Yero?"

His eyes snapped open and he looked at her, only to find her looking back at him. Her eyes were still a bit foggy with fever, but they were clearer than they had been so far.

"Am I dreaming?" she mumbled, furrowing her brow slightly, and he stroked her cheek.

"No, Fae, you're not," he said. "You're awake."

She blinked slowly. "Am I dead?"

He swallowed. "No. No, thank Oz you're not."

"Then how…"

"I'll explain everything to you, okay?" he said, leaning forward to plant a soft kiss on her lips. "Once you're feeling a bit better. You'll be fine, Fae, I promise. You're safe now, I'm right here with you and I'm not going to leave you alone, okay?"

"Okay." She squirmed a little, wriggling until she was curled up against him, with her head on his chest and her arm draped over his stomach. "'Night, Yero," she murmured, already half asleep again.

He kissed her forehead and stroked her hair. "'Night, Fae," he whispered.


	14. Chapter 14 I'll stand by you

**AN: Yes... the final chapter. I hope I tied every loose end up in this one - I just couldn't think of much else to write, and then I had inspiration for more stories... yeah.**

**Fun fact: In this chapter Elphaba's fear of storms resurfaces, and we had, like, a really bad storm last night. No thunder or anything, just rain and lots of wind. It was kind of fitting :P. Unfortunately that also means that we don't have the tiniest chance of having a white Christmas this year, but oh well.**

**Moreanswers24, that's fine, of course. I'm sorry about your uncle :(.**

**I'm going to start a new story very soon. It'll be called "Ghost of green girl's present" but unlike the title suggests, it has nothing to do with A Christmas Carol. You'll see ;).**

**And just in case I can't manage to update something again before tonight... Merry Christmas to you all! :)**

* * *

**Chapter 14. I'll stand by you**

Over the next few days, Elphaba slowly recovered; and to put it mildly, she was _not _pleased when she found out what had happened.

"You'd better not be saying what I think you're saying," she growled, staring at Fiyero as if he had betrayed her.

He sighed. "I'm really sorry, Fae, but it's true," he said. "He's your father."

"_He _is a lying, cheating, manipulative piece of –"

"Elphie!" Galinda scolded the green girl from her spot in a chair next to the bed. "Manners!"

"Look, Fae," Fiyero said, softly rubbing his hands up and down her arms in an attempt to calm her down a little. "I know this must be a shock…"

"A shock?" she echoed heatedly. "This is worse than him declaring me a Wicked Witch in the first place!"

"Now, Fae –"

"Elphie, don't be overdramatic," Galinda said sternly. "It's not _that _bad to have him as your father!"

"Oh, it's bad, alright!" Elphaba ran both her hands through her thick, raven hair in frustration. "I'd much rather have burnt to death at the stake!"

"Elphaba!" Fiyero and Galinda shouted at the same time, Fiyero sounding shocked, Galinda reprimanding.

"Don't say that," Fiyero added, sounding pained, and she softened.

"Sorry."

"Now, Elphie," Galinda said, trying to make her best friend see reason. "I know you hadn't expected this. None of us had. But it's a good thing. He saved you from your execution, he saved Fiyero from a life in Southstairs, and thanks to him, Morrible will spend the rest of her life in prison. He really cares about you, Elphie. He lifted the Animal Banns for you."

"If it weren't for him, there wouldn't have been Animal Banns to be lifted in the first place!"

"Galinda is right, Fae." Fiyero smoothed Elphaba's hair away from her face, twirling a strand of it around his finger. "You should have seen him when he realised what he had done to you, to his own daughter… he was devastated."

Elphaba was conflicted. "But…"

"I'm not asking you to like him," Fiyero said. "You don't even have to have a relationship with him, if you don't want to. He will let you go the moment you're healed, and he's already clearing your name…"

"He has quite a good story, actually," Galinda chimed in. "He told the people you're actually his daughter, but that Morrible had put a spell on him that brainwashed him, or something. He said he finally discovered Morrible's treason and put the old hag in Southstairs. The people bought it immediately. Everyone is feeling sorry for you now - the poor Wizard's daughter who came to see her father and was declared a Wicked Witch."

Elphaba scoffed.

"I talked to him," Fiyero said. "He said that if you don't want to see him anymore from now on, he won't judge you. He's hoping that you might forgive him one day, but he's not going to force you to like him."

"He couldn't if he tried," Elphaba grumbled. "So you're asking me now to give him another chance?"

Fiyero shook his head. "I'm asking you to think about it," he said. "That's all. Above all, right now, I'm asking you to at least accept his help and stay here until you're healed."

She scowled and crossed her arms. "You want me to stay here and do _nothing_ for the next… what? Week?"

"Yes," Galinda said sternly. "You, Elphaba Thropp, are not leaving this bed anytime soon. I know it's impossible to keep you down, but last time I complied when you wanted to get out of bed and look how _that _turned out."

Elphaba rolled her eyes. "We did save Fiyero," she pointed out.

"And your fever _did _worsen," Galinda retorted. "Plus you were abducted by the Gale Force."

"Which had nothing whatsoever to do with my fever or me not taking the time to heal."

Galinda scowled. "That's beside the point, Elphie." She paused. "How did they find out where you two were, anyway?"

"I asked Oscar," said Fiyero, rubbing his forehead. "Morrible got suspicious. First Galinda comes in and hands over Elphaba, after which she is assigned a position in the government; and mere hours later, the Wicked Witch of the West and the traitorous Prince Fiyero Tiggular are missing from Southstairs. It took Morrible a while – she even went back to Shiz to talk to some of the students – but finally she realised that we had been in Galinda's dorm room all this time and she sent out the Gale Force. That's when she brought Elphaba's things to the Wizard and he realised that you were actually his daughter."

Elphaba nodded tiredly. "Of course. We should have thought about that," she muttered.

"I told you it wasn't a good plan, Elphie," Galinda said.

Elphaba sighed. "Yeah. I guess you were right for once," she said teasingly.

Galinda stuck out her tongue.

When Elphaba yawned, Fiyero kissed the top of her head. "You should get some sleep. Give your body a chance to heal."

She sighed irritably. "Fiyero, I'm -"

"Don't you dare say you're fine," Fiyero warned her.

She closed her mouth.

Galinda giggled, rising to her feet. "I'll just go, then." She hugged Fiyero, then Elphaba. "Stay in bed," she told the green girl. "And listen to Fifi."

Elphaba rolled her eyes. "Yes, Mummy."

The blonde just giggled again and skipped out of the room.

* * *

Fiyero was in the sitting room one night a few days later, talking to Oscar. There had been much talking the past days, but Fiyero felt that they were reaching an understanding. Oscar had explained everything to them and tried his hardest to be the best man and ruler he could be, and though Elphaba hadn't completely forgiven him yet, Fiyero knew she appreciated the effort. They had reached a point now where at least they all got along relatively well and were able to have normal conversations that didn't end with Galinda shrieking and throwing objects at the Wizard, or with Elphaba's magic flying off the handle.

Elphaba's temperature was back to normal, for which Fiyero was incredibly grateful. She was still weak and she needed to take it slow, but she wanted to get out of here, and the doctor had given her permission to travel to the Vinkus with Fiyero and his parents.

Fiyero grinned as he remembered her first meeting his parents. She had been nervous, but his mother had just smiled and asked her about herself, at which Elphaba had visibly relaxed. Lori had told her son later that she quite liked the girl.

"She's smart, she clearly cares about you a lot, and I think she's had a rough life," Lori had said to Fiyero. "The complete opposite from the girls you usually date, Yero. I must say I'm quite proud of you."

Fiyero had been apprehensive about his father's reaction to Elphaba, and when Hamold had first entered the room and stared Elphaba up and down for ten seconds, Fiyero's worries seemed to be justified.

"I must say," Hamold had said drily, his first words to Elphaba, "that I had expected you to have more warts."

Fiyero had been shocked at his father's rudeness. Elphaba, however, had just said sarcastically, "No warts, Your Majesty. I'm also not a hundred years old and I don't eat babies. Any other rumours I can clear up for you?"

A smirk had tugged at the corners of Hamold's mouth. "No, that's it, I think. Although there is one thing I'd like to know. Do you love my son?"

"More than anything in this world," she said immediately, and Hamold had smiled.

"Good."

After that, Elphaba and Hamold had somehow taken an instant liking to one another. Fiyero didn't understand anything about it, but suddenly they seemed to be best buddies, discussing books and politics as if their lives depended on it.

Fiyero didn't question it, though – he was glad his parents and Elphaba were getting along.

"So you're leaving for the Vinkus tomorrow?" Oscar queried now, and Fiyero nodded.

"We are," he said. "Elphaba is coming home with me and my parents to heal, and next summer, she and I will be going back to Shiz to finish our education."

"Yero?"

Fiyero turned around, only to find Elphaba standing in the doorway. She was bare-footed and dressed in her nightgown, with a blanket drawn around her shoulders. She had been asleep when he had left the room, but apparently something had woken her up.

He rose to his feet, moving over to her, and wrapped his arms around her waist. "What's wrong, Fae?" he asked her softly.

She bit her lip. Thunder roared outside, making her cringe, and he suddenly understood her anxiety.

"Come on," he said to her. "I'll stay with you." He looked at the Wizard. "Goodnight, Oscar."

Oscar smiled first at him, then at Elphaba. "Goodnight, Fiyero. Elphaba."

"Goodnight," she said quietly, allowing Fiyero to lead her back into the bedroom.

"It's silly, really," she said as she crawled back under the blankets. "I've spent more than one night out in a thunderstorm by myself, during my days as the Wicked Witch, but… but they still scare me."

"What did you do?" he asked, drawing her into his arms. "When you were out in a storm by yourself?"

She settled down, burying her face in his neck. "Curl up under a blanket," she murmured. "Wait it out. Think about you."

He tightened the grip of his arms around her. "You really just should have come to find me," he said. "Those four months without you were awful."

"I know. I'm sorry." She looked up at him. "It won't happen again."

"Ever?" he asked nuzzling her cheek.

She pressed her lips against his in a searing kiss. "Ever."

* * *

**Epilogue**

"Fiyero?" Elphaba descended the stairs, searching for the Vinkun prince. Most of the time it was herthat was late for everything – usually because she was in the library of the huge castle, completely absorbed in a book – but right now it was Fiyero who was running late.

"Yero, where are you?" Elphaba looked into a room. There was a mug standing on the coffee table and there was a book lying open on the couch, indicating that he had been here, but she didn't see him. "Fiyero?"

"In here," she heard him call from the adjoining room.

"We're having dinner with your parents, remember?" she said, moving towards the doorway. "They're waiting." The room she stepped into was a study, with a heavy desk and some shelves filled with books that blocked her sight. "Are you coming?"

"Could you…" She heard him swallow. "Could you, um… come here, first, please?"

Puzzled, she moved further into the room until she could see him. He was pressed up against a wall, looking positively terrified. "Fiyero? What's wrong?" she asked, alarmed.

He pointed at something on the floor, his finger trembling. "M-Monster," he choked out.

She followed his gaze and bit back a grin.

"You're laughing at me," he said accusingly.

She hid a smile. He knew her too well. "No, I'm not. I swear I'm not."

He scowled. "Yes, you are. Oh, come on, Fae, I thought we'd been over this," he said pleadingly. "It's funny, ha ha, now please, _please _get that thing away from me."

She shook her head, allowing the smile to grace her lips now. "I know we've been over this," she said. "I just never saw it with my own eyes. Never thought your reaction to these things would resemble my reaction to a heavy thunderstorm." She took a step forward, then wrinkled her nose. "Okay, I get why you're creeped out. This one is… just… ew. It's a really big one."

"_I know_," he said in exasperation. "Believe me, I know. Why do you think I have been standing here for half an hour already?"

"You've been standing here for _half an_ _hour_?" she echoed incredulously. She shook her head. "Why didn't you call someone?"

"No-one heard me!" he protested. "It's a big castle! Come on, Fae, just remove the thing!"

She grimaced. It really was big. And fat. And hairy. "Yuck."

"Please don't dangle it in front of my face," he begged her.

"Of course not. I promised you I would never do that." She scooped the spider up in her hands, shuddering slightly – she wasn't very easily impressed by spiders, but this one really was disgusting. "I might save it for Galinda, though." She grinned, even as she walked over to the window. "I bet you could hear her scream all the way in Quadling Country." She opened the window and tossed the spider out of it. "It's gone."

"Promise?" he asked her in a small voice.

"Promise." She turned back to face him. He slowly came out of his corner, still looking a bit frightened, and she laughed and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Yero my hero," she teased him.

He scowled at her. "Don't laugh at me."

"Never." She kissed his nose. "Come on, let's go and join your parents for dinner."

He looked at her. She was wearing a deep purple gown, simple but elegant – the style she usually wore these days. He much preferred it over her old black frocks. Her hair was tied back in a messy bun, making her look classy and casual at the same time. He grinned. Only she could pull off a look like that with an entire country looking up at her as their princess. "I love you," he told her.

She quirked an eyebrow at his random outburst, but she was smiling. "You're such an idiot," she said fondly, kissing him. "Where did that come from?"

He shrugged. "Just… I don't know. You never fail to amaze me." He swept her up in his arms bridal style and kissed her again. "You know, now that we're married and stuff, the people would expect us to produce an heir soon."

"Is that really all you can think about?" she demanded in exasperation. "Sex?"

He feigned innocence. "What do you mean, my dearest darlingest sweetie pie?"

She pinched him. Hard. He gasped and nearly dropped her. "_Ouch_, Fae!"

"Serves you well." She writhed until he put her down on her own two feet again. Then she looked up at him. "Are you serious?" she asked him softly. "You want children?"

He grew serious, too, upon hearing her tone of voice. He took her hands in his and leant down to kiss her forehead. "Only if that's what you want, too, Fae," he said. "I love you. I would love to have kids with you someday, but it doesn't have to be in the near future; and if you don't want children at all, then I'll be perfectly happy spending the rest of my life with you - just the two of us."

She smiled up at him. "I love you, Yero," she sighed, wrapping her arms around his waist and resting her head against his shoulder.

He planted a kiss on the top of her head. "Did you say my parents were waiting?"

She pulled away, looking stunned. "Oh, Oz!"

He chuckled. "It's fine, Fae. They know me. I'm never on time for anything." He offered her his arm, which she accepted, and they started walking towards the dining room together.

"You really wouldn't mind?" she asked him. "If I wouldn't want children?"

"I would prefer to have children," he admitted. "But I meant what I said, Fae. As long as I have you, I'm happy. I don't care about anything else."

She leant her head against his shoulder.

He said, "I'd love to have some mini-you's and mini-me's running around the house, though. Castle," he corrected himself quickly.

She sniggered, raising her head to look at him. "Mini-Elphaba's and mini-Fiyero's? Are you sure you're up for that?" she teased him. "Think about it – brainless green kids who dance through life whilst causing magical power explosions everywhere they go. Who knows, maybe they'll fly around on broomsticks, too - cackling as they fly all over the Vinkus and sing silly songs about life being more painless for the brainless."

Fiyero grinned and pulled her closer. "I'm already looking forward to it," he said honestly.

She smiled and dropped her head back against his shoulder. "Someday."

He stopped walking, turning her to look into her eyes. "Really?" he asked hopefully.

She nodded, biting her lip. "Not right now," she said softly. "I don't think I'm quite ready for that yet. But… someday, yes. I'd love to have children with you, Yero."

A beaming smile lit up his face and he pulled her flush against him, kissing her deeply. "I love you so much," he said breathlessly.

She stood on her tiptoes and kissed him again, softly this time. "I love you, too, Yero my hero. Come on, let's get downstairs," she said, tugging at his arm. "We've kept your parents waiting long enough. And wipe that smug grin off your face," she added, trying to sound stern, but her smile gave her away.

"Yes, dear," he said teasingly, following her to the dining room; but he wore his goofy grin for the rest of the night.


End file.
